The Seven Weeks' War

by H M Hozier

  On account of the great amount of military traffic on the line, which had lately formed the artery of communication and supplies for the three united Prussian armies, railway carriages had been brought from Saxony and even Prussia to supply the necessary transport. These carriages for the most part ran on three pairs of wheels, instead of on two, as do those which in time of peace run along this line, and which for the most part the Austrians drew back with them when they retreated. The Saxon carriages, built for straighter lines and gentler curves, were very liable on such a line as that which from Brünn twists and winds up the valley to Prerau to run off the rails.

  It was thus that the accident occurred. One of the six-wheeled carriages flew off the rails, turned over, and formed a barricade, against which and each other the twelve succeeding ones were shivered. Five men were killed, and eight were seriously hurt; many horses suffered, and seven belonging to the king were killed. This unfortunate accident affords a moral, inasmuch that it shows that not only must the permanent way be entire and safe, but the rolling stock used must be suited to the particular line, if railways are required to afford in time of war not only powerful but also rapid means of transport.

  The railway journey was from the front to far in the rear of the great Prussian armies. At Lundenburg, and for some distance north, all the roads which could be seen from the line were swarming with infantry, cavalry, and artillery, winding slowly along in a northerly direction; further on were reserve store trains, ammunition columns, heavy artillery, and all the numerous waggons which must follow in the rear of a great host of fighting men; at Brünn was a garrison of Mülbe’s reserve corps, the soldiers of which crowded the station to catch a glimpse of the commander-in-chief of the First Army; here too, were the officers of the staff of the crown prince, who were waiting here till they received definite orders as to their further journey from their commander, who had been hurried to Berlin to take part in the opening of the Chambers. Further north, beside roads and near villages, could be seen dark blue heavy waggons, packed in regular order, which formed the rearmost line of the reserve artillery and ammunition trains, and further north still the stations and towns were garrisoned by regiments of Landwehr.

  Nothing could be more striking to Englishmen, who had long been accustomed to hear the Prussian army described as a sort of hurried levy of untrained militiamen, than the appearance of these troops. Fine and strong as were the men who fought in the foremost ranks during the campaign, Prussia had in reserve behind them troops formed of soldiers equally tall, equally strong, older and better grown, in these Landwehr levies. Most of the privates are men of good situation in life, for, after completing their terms of service in the line, they go into business or professions, and generally have secured comfortable incomes; but at the call of their country they quit their affairs, and return to serve in the ranks, and bring with them to their soldier’s duty an education and intelligence which can be found in the armies of no other country in Europe; nor, as can be seen from the garrison of this place, have they in private life forgotten one item of their former military training.

  They are grand troops, the very beau idéal of a soldiery; and they are well led, for their officers, nearly all of noble birth, are men who have formerly served in the army, and who in time of peace live upon their estates in the same districts as the soldiers they command in war are drawn from; so that these Landwehr levies unite with their superior education and intelligence a chivalrous affection for their chief, such as characterised the privates of the bands who fought so gallantly for the House of Stuart.

  The Landwehr soon began to move back into Prussia, and were disbanded to return to their homes; their places were taken by the troops of the armies, which had been engaged in the field, and which occupied the greater part of Bohemia and Moravia until the conclusion of the definite treaty of peace.

  The city of Prague was not visibly affected by the presence of a Prussian garrison. The shops were all open; trade went on even more briskly than usual, for the Landwehr officers were generally rich, and spent their money freely; but it must have taken the citizens some time to recover from the officers and soldiers of the garrison the money they had to contribute for the expenses of, the occupation of their town by the Prussians.

  Prince Albrecht, the commander of the cavalry corps, reached Prague on the 10th of August, but he did not bring his troops with him, for they had been scattered through the country to facilitate the supply of the large amount of provisions and forage which so many horsemen daily required. The infantry of the armies of Prince Frederick Charles, the Crown Prince, and the Army of the Elbe, were also scattered through Bohemia and Moravia in small divisions, which took up the positions they held until the plenipotentiaries who were assembling at Prague had affixed their signatures to the definitive treaty of peace.

  Some of the infantry corps of the Guard were stationed at Prague for a few days, but only as a temporary measure.

  On the 10th August a brigade of cavalry of the Guard corps marched through the town on their way to the north, for the whole of this corps was to be scattered among the villages between Prague and Theresienstadt This brigade consisted of the garde du corps, the cuirassiers of the Guard, and a battery of the horse artillery of the Guard; it was the heavy brigade of the Guard cavalry, and corresponds in the Prussian service to our Household cavalry. The garde du corps were dressed in the same way as our cuirassiers; their men, though not so tall as the soldiers of the Life-guards, looked as if they rode heavier upon their horses, for they carried, even upon active service, the long black boot, and were encumbered with an enormous kit.

  Their uniform was white, their cuirasses and helmets of a burnished golden colour; the men looked strong, solid, and healthy; the horses were thin, but in wonderful condition, considering that they had within seven weeks marched from Prussian Silesia to the banks of the Danube and back to Prague. The Guard cuirassiers, who followed, were dressed in the same manner as the garde du corps, except that they had blue facings instead of scarlet, and wore the ordinary cavalry overall The long squadrons of bright bay horses looked exceedingly well, and even the most prejudiced advocate of light cavalry, and nothing but light cavalry, if he had that day seen Prince Albrecht’s heavy horsemen returning from their campaign, must have owned that the days in which heavy cavalry are of use in war are not yet numbered. The experience of this campaign has taught that needle-guns and rifled artillery have no more driven cavalry, and even very heavy cavalry, from the field of battle than they have from the theatre of war; but it has been found that, in the shock of closing squadrons, small men and light horses must go down before the powerful onset of stouter assailants.

  The Prussians found that, in future, cavalry must be formed and equipped so as to allow strong troopers to be brought into the field; but strong troopers ride heavily, and heavy loads tell fearfully on horses on the line of march; so, to secure power in the charge with rapidity of movement, the dead weight which cavalry horses now carry must be reduced almost to nothing, and the horse must be required to bear little more than the rider, his arms, his cloak, and a light saddle. Valises will have to be carried in waggons in rear of the regiments, or left at some convenient place whence they can be forwarded to the front by railway or water transport when the army halts.

  In this war the Prussian cavalry gained a glorious and unexpected reputation from its conduct in the field; but its horses suffered much from marching, especially in crossing the highland country which lies on the frontiers of Bohemia and Moravia. The cavalry felt the effects of the rapid movements more than the infantry; yet the Prussian foot-soldier marched under almost every disadvantage which dress could inflict. His helmet was horrible, both as to comfort and appearance, his clothes were uncomfortable, the trousers without gaiters hung clammily against the calf on a rainy day, or collected inside them a layer of mud which rubbed uneasily against the ankle. The inconvenience of the dress was shown whenever a battalion started to march; the first thi
ng the soldier did was to divest himself of his helmet, and sling it from his waist-belt, where it dangled uncomfortably against his legs; he unbuttoned his coat, and after a few days’ experience scarcely ever omitted to stuff the lower parts of his trousers into his boots, which thus afforded a gaiter with the advantage of requiring neither buttons nor straps, as do those in use in most armies.

  Prussian officers themselves acknowledged that the dress of their army could not be compared to that of the Austrians either for efficiency or appearance. It only shows what splendid stuff the Prussian troops are made of when they performed such prodigies of marching as marked their victorious course under these disadvantages, and also weighed down by their heavy knapsacks, which, although of a better construction than those of most armies, were hardly required, and though present were seldom looked into in the actual campaign.

  Railways and improved roads have made great alterations in the necessities of a warrior, both by shortening the duration of campaigns and facilitating transport. Europe will never again see any decently-organised army waiting many weeks for the arrival of a siege train, for the carriage of which all available transport is required, so that from want of means of sending stores forward the troops in the front are shivering in tattered clothes and suffering painfully from unbooted feet. Soldiers need no longer be weighed down by heavy loads upon their backs, held back from their real use—marching and fighting—to be converted into beasts of burden. A spare shirt, a change of shoes, and a pot of grease, is about all that a foot-soldier need carry with him, besides his arms, ammunition, and some food.

  On the morning of the 17th, the greater part of the first division of the infantry of the Guard marched into the town, and marched past before Prince Frederick Charles. Some of the division had arrived a few days before, but only that day made their formal entrance with their comrades, who early that morning reached the suburbs. In an open space about a mile and a half without the ramparts the whole of the troops who were to march in were assembled about eight o’clock, and a little after began moving towards the Ross Thor. There they filed through the gate, halted at the top of the market-place for a few moments to form their columns, passed before the prince, and disappeared into the narrow winding streets beyond, some to take up billets for a few days in the town, others to pass through and move to their positions in the villages further north.

  The scarlet and gold squadrons of the Guard hussars led the way, the most smartly-equipped regiment in the Prussian service, whose officers wear the Hessian boot, the true leg-dress of the cavalry soldier. Behind them came the first infantry regiment of the Guard, with their white facings and silver ornaments; this is the celebrated regiment of Potsdam grenadiers, to fill the ranks of which with enormous men Frederick William I. culled giants out of every country in Europe, and made every Prussian Embassy, from London to Vienna, a recruiting-office. The men are not quite so tall now as those handed down to Frederick the Great; but still they worthily support the title of grenadiers, for no private in the battalions was less than six feet high, and the stature of the greater part exceeded that figure.

  The companies were weak, for many of the tall soldiers who marched with their eagles from Prussia sleep at Chlum beside the chief who led them forth, General Hiller; many were in hospital with wounds, and not a few had been left behind on account of sickness; for the cholera had been among those who passed through the action of Trautenau and came scatheless out of the battle of Königgratz. Then came the fusiliers of the Guard, not quite so big as those who had gone before, but on the average taller men than the English Footguards. Behind these marched the dark green sections of the Jägers of the Guard, whose recruits are picked from all the foresters and gamekeepers of Prussia—marksmen of unerring aim, skirmishers of high intelligence, who know full well how to avail themselves of every stump and hillock, and how, lurking behind shelter, themselves in safety, with every bullet to bring down an enemy.

  A gap of some hundred yards separated the Jägers from the second brigade, first in which came the 2nd regiment, men and officers marching in forage caps. There was not a helmet to be seen in their ranks, for on going into action at Trautenau this regiment to a man threw away then: heavy helmets, and thus rid themselves for the campaign of a cumbrous head-dress in a manner which did not draw forth such unqualified approval from the military authorities as did their conduct on the line of march or under fire. Behind the foot soldiers came the artillery of the division, followed by the provision columns and ambulance waggons, whose fine-drawn horses told of many a heavy pull over the rugged roads of Bohemia and Moravia.

  The parade marching of the infantry of the Prussian Guard has been renowned ever since its recruits were so harshly drilled by the stem soldier who first formed it. Since that time great alterations have been made both in the tactics and treatment of the men; the Prussian grenadiers no longer move in the field in the stiff unbending formation which regarded soldiers only as machines.

  But while the Prussians have lately adopted a system of manoeuvres for field service which unites immense elasticity with great rapidity of movement, they have not failed to observe that the foundation of all tactical pliability lies in previous solidity and precision; that troops who cannot move well on parade rarely can be of much use in service, and that before infantry soldiers can dash about as skirmishers they must be able to move accurately in more solid formation. This was well shown by the Guards who marched into Prague on the 17th August. As the battalions passed the prince not a line wavered, not an opening was seen between the shoulders of the men; solid and compact, the companies swept rapidly along in lines as even as if they had been ruled, while every foot fell in measured cadence to describe a step of equal length.

  The 18th was the birthday of the emperor of Austria. Notwithstanding the presence of the Prussian garrison, it was celebrated with all due honours by the civil guard of the town. Early in the morning the town guards paraded, and marched through the street with sprigs of oak leaf in their hats, music playing, and swords drawn, while numbers of Prussian soldiers off duty crowded the foot pavements to gaze at them, and Prussian guards turned out to present arms to the Austrian standard of the ancient city of Prague, which was carried in their midst. After the civil guard had marched through the principal streets, the fire engines followed, decked with flags and preceded by a band.

  The Prussian authorities made no objection to the celebration of the day; in fact, they encouraged it, for they made a point of allowing everything to go on in the Austrian towns they occupied as if no foreign troops were present, and no Prussian sentries stood upon the ramparts or occupied the guard houses. In consequence there was good feeling between the soldiers and the townspeople, between whom there arose many personal friendships, though the latter did not scruple, even openly, to say that, though they found the Prussians much more pleasant than they could have expected any enemies to be, they would not be sorry when their visit was over, and Prague was again garrisoned by the white uniforms of the Kaiser.

  On the 19th, some more of the Guard corps marched into the town, while those that arrived two days before marched out to die north to occupy positions nearer Theresienstadt, and to make room for the new arrivals. The troops that came in were the yellow Uhlans of the Guard and the Elizabeth regiment. The infantry arrived very dusty, for they had a long march in the morning; but they went through the streets up to the Pulver Thurm, near which Prince Frederick Charles was waiting to receive them, with the same even front and steady tramp as the grenadiers who came in two days before, and swept past the commander-in-chief of the First Army in the unwavering lines which always characterize a Prussian parade. The men of this regiment, destined for lighter duties, were not so tall or stout as those of the first brigade, but they were still large men, with great depth and breadth of chest, and, though dusty, looked anything but tired from the hot march.

  The cavalry, like all lancers, looked smart, and, except that the horses were thinner than when they left
Berlin, and that some of the squadron did not show then: proper strength, exhibited small signs of having just come off a campaign. The people of Prague were so much accustomed now to the perpetual arrival of troops that few generally collected to see a regiment march in, but on this day, as the troops arrived just as mass was over and the congregations were pouring out of the churches, a considerable crowd stopped to gaze upon the Prussian guardsmen, who marched along between the thronged pavements, overtopping like giants the staring Bohemians. Some Austrian officers who were prisoners on parole, several having their arms in slings, on account of wounds received at Münchengrätz or Sadowa, could not conceal their admiration of the Prussian troops. For a time they gazed silently; but as company after company swept along, their countenances brightened up, and as the last battalion came they could no longer refrain from expressing in words their surprise and wonder that soldiers could be so perfectly trained within a period of three years’ service.

  Fine as the men were who marched into Prague, many held that they did not come up to the Landwehr levies. The latter are older men and better filled out, and their ranks contain those whose education has been supplemented by application to trades or professions; and Landwehr men are not men who have been hastily recruited and rawly trained, they have all served for three years in the regular ranks, they are all true soldiers, and soldiers of such a sort as every general and every statesman would wish to see available for the service of his country.

  The definitive treaty of peace was signed between Austria and Prussia at the Blue Star Hotel at Prague, on the 23rd August Austria was represented by Baron Brenner, Prussia by Baron Werther, as Count Bismarck had gone to Berlin at the same time as the king, to be present at the opening of the Chambers on the 5th August.