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17 - With Frederick The Great - A Story of the Seven Years' War by G A Henty · With Frederick The Great: A Story of the Seven Years' War

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Chapter sixte at Minden. On the following day, Fergus started
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: riding the new horse the count had given him, while
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Carl led Tartar. The journey to Breslau was performed without adventure.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: He found on arrival that the King had ten days
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: before gone to Landshut, round which place a portion of
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: his army was cantoned. At Lancet. He commanded the main
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: press into Bohemia, was in a position to move rapidly
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: towards any point where dawn might endeavor to break through
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: into Silesia, and was yet but a few marches from
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  Speaker 1: Dresden should the title war flow in that direction. Already,
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: several blows had been struck at the enemy. As early
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: as the sixteenth of February. Prince Henry had attacked a
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: Confederate army which strengthened by some Austrian regiments, had intended
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: to fortify itself at Iffut, and driven it far away,
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: while the Prince of Brunswick had made a raid into
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: the small Federal states and carried off two thousand prisoners.
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: Early in March, a force from Yerego had marched into
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  Speaker 1: Poland and destroyed many Russian magazines. While on April thirteenth,
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: the very day on which Fergus arrived in Breslau, Duke
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: Ferdinand had fought a battle with the French army and
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  Speaker 1: the broglio near Bergen. The French, however, were very strongly posted,
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  Speaker 1: and Ferdinand was unable to capture their position and lost
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  Speaker 1: twenty five hundred men, while the French lost but nineteen hundred.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: On the same day, Prince Henry crossed the mountains and
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  Speaker 1: destroyed all the Austrian magazines through the country between Eager
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  Speaker 1: and Prague, containing food for an army of fifty thousand
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  Speaker 1: for five months, captured three thousand prisoners, and burnt two
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: hundred voats collected on the Elbe near Leipmurtz, and was
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: back again after an absence of but nine days. Fortnight
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: later he was off again more, watching, this time towards Bamberg,
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  Speaker 1: burning magazines and carrying off supplies. He captured Bayreuth and Bamberg,
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  Speaker 1: took twenty five hundred prisoners, and struck so heavy a
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: blow at the little princelings of the Confederacy that he
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: was able to leave matters to themselves in the west.
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: Should the king require his aid against Dawn or the Russians.
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  Speaker 1: On the sixteenth of April, Fergus arrived at Lancet and
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  Speaker 1: proceeded to the royal quarters. On sending his name to
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  Speaker 1: the king, he was at once ushered in. So you
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  Speaker 1: have returned, Major Drummond, Frederick said cordially, and in plenty
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  Speaker 1: of time to see the play. Though indeed I should
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: not be surprised if it is some time before the
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: curtain draws up. I had some hopes that you might rejoin,
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: for after your last escape, I doubted whether any Austrian
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: prison would hold you long. I am glad to see
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: you back again. Ah. It was a heavy loss, that
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: of our good Marshal. None but myself else can say
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: how I miss him. He was not only as a general,
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: one of the best and most trustworthy, but as a friend.
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: He was always cheery, always hopeful, one to whom I
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: can tell all my thoughts. Ah. If I had but
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: taken his advice at Hotchkirch, I would not have had
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: to mourn his loss. It was a heavy blow to you, also,
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: Major Drummond, A heavy blow, indeed, your majesty, he was
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: as kind to me as if he had been my father.
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: I will try to supply his place, The King said, Gravy,
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: he died in my service and through my era for
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: my own sake. I am glad that you are here.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: You have something of his temperament. I can talk freely
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: with you too, whatever comes into my head. I do
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  Speaker 1: not know whether I did rightly in coming to report
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: myself direct to you, sire, but your kindness has always
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: been so great to me that I thought it would
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: be best to come straight to you instead of reporting
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: myself elsewhere, having indeed no fixed post or commander. You
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: did quite right, by the way, Keith's brother, the Scottish
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: Earl Mareschal, is here. He touched the bell and said
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  Speaker 1: to the officer who came in, would he give my
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: compliments to Earl Marischal Keith and beg him to come
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: to me for a few minutes. Two minutes later Keith entered,
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: a tall man, less strongly built than his brother, but
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  Speaker 1: much resembling him. Excuse my sending for you, Earl Mareschal,
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  Speaker 1: the King said, but I want to introduce to you
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  Speaker 1: your young cousin, Major Drummond, a very brave young officer,
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  Speaker 1: as you may well imagine, since he has already gained
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  Speaker 1: that rank and wears our military order of the Black Eagle.
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: He tells me that he has not hitherto met you,
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: but he came over here at your brother's invitation. Was
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: a very great favorite of his, and was deeply attached
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: to him. My brother mentioned you frequently in his letters
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  Speaker 1: to me, Keith said, holding out his hand to Fergus,
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  Speaker 1: I knew but little love mother first cousin as she is,
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  Speaker 1: for being ten years older than my brother, she was
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  Speaker 1: but a little child in my eyes when I first
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  Speaker 1: saw her. Were it not that I am past military work,
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  Speaker 1: I would gladly try to film my brother's place to you.
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  Speaker 1: But if I cannot aid you in your profession, I
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: can at least give you a share of my affection.
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  Speaker 1: As to his profession, Keith, that is my business, the
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  Speaker 1: King said. He saved my life and zoned off, and
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  Speaker 1: has in so many ways distinguish himself that his success
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: in his career is already assured. He is by many
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: years the youngest major in the service, and if this
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: war goes on, there is no saying to what id
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: he may rise. He has just returned from an Austrian prison.
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  Speaker 1: Where As I told you when you joined me, he
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: was carried after Hotchkirch. I don't know yet how he escaped.
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: He must dine with me this evening, and afterwards he
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: shall tell us about it. Mitchell dines with us also,
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  Speaker 1: He too is a friend of this young soldier, and
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: has a high opinion of him. That evening. After dinner,
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: Fergus related to the party, which consisted only of the King,
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: Keith and the British ambassador, how he escaped from prison.
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  Speaker 1: The next time the Austrians catch you, Major Drummond, King
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: said when he had finished. If they want to keep you,
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: they will have to change you by the leg, as
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: they used to do in the old times. For months,
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: de Prussian and Austrian armies lay inactive. Dawn had supposed that,
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: as the King had begun the three previous campaigns by
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: launching his forces into Bohemia, he would be certain to
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: follow the same policy, and he had therefore placed his
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: army in an almost impregnable position and waited for the
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: King to assume the offensive. Frederick, however, felt that with
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  Speaker 1: his diminished forces, he could no longer afford to dash
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  Speaker 1: himself against the strong positions so carefully chosen and entrenched
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: by the enemy, and must now confine himself to the
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  Speaker 1: defensive and leave it to the Austrians to attempt to
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  Speaker 1: cross the passes and give battle. The slowness with which
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: they marched, in comparison with the speed at which the
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: Prussian troops could be taken from one point to another,
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  Speaker 1: gave him good ground for believing that he should find
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  Speaker 1: many opportunities for falling upon the enemy when in movement.
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: It was a long time before the Austrian general recognized
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: the change in Frederick's strategy, still longer before he could
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  Speaker 1: bring himself to abandon his own tactics of waiting and fortifying,
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: and determined to abandon his struggles and assume the offensive.
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: When July opened, he had, by various slow and careful marches,
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: planted himself in a very strong position that marked Lisa
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: while Frederick, as usual, was watching him. Dawn was well
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: aware that Frederick, of all things, desired to bring on
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  Speaker 1: a battle, but knowing that the Russians, one hundred thousand
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  Speaker 1: strong under Sultakoff, was steadily approaching, he determined to wait
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  Speaker 1: where he was and to allow the brunch of the
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  Speaker 1: fighting for once to fall on them. Fergus, by this
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  Speaker 1: time was far away. The long weeks had passed as
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: slowly to him as they had to the King, and
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: he was very glad indeed, when on the second of
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: June Frederick said to him, I know that you are
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: impatient for action, Major Drummond. Your blood is younger to mine,
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  Speaker 1: and I feel it hard enough to be patient myself. However,
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: I can find some employment for you. Duke Ferdinand has
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: now you know, twelve thousand English troops with him. He
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: has written to me saying that as neither of his
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: aides de camp can speak English, he begs that I
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: would send him an officer who can do so, for
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: a very few of the British are able to speak German,
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: and serious consequences might arise from the misapprehensione of waters
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  Speaker 1: on a day at a battle. Therefore, I have resolved
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  Speaker 1: to send you to him, and you can start tomorrow
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  Speaker 1: at daybreak. I will have a dispatch prepared for you
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  Speaker 1: to carry to the Duke, who, of course, by the way,
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  Speaker 1: knows you, and will I am sure be glad to
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: have you with it. Later on, I must send another
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  Speaker 1: of my Scottish officers to take your place with him,
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  Speaker 1: for I like having you with me. However, at present
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  Speaker 1: you are wasting your time and may as well blow.
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  Speaker 1: We are off again tomorrow morning, Carl Fergus said in
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  Speaker 1: high spirits as he reached his quarter. That is the
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  Speaker 1: best news that I've heard since the Count's messenger brought
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: me worried at Erfrit that you had returned to Major.
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: It has been the dullest six week we have had
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  Speaker 1: since we first marched from Berlin. For a while in
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: winter one knows that nothing can be done, and so
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  Speaker 1: is content to rest quietly. Spring one is always expect something,
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: and if nothing comes of it, one worries and grumbles.
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  Speaker 1: It is a long ride we are going this time, Carl.
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  Speaker 1: I don't care how long it is. Major, so that
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  Speaker 1: one is moving, I'm going to join the Duke of
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  Speaker 1: Brunswick's staff. That is something like a ride, Major, call
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  Speaker 1: said in surprise, for it is right from one side
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  Speaker 1: of pressure to the other. Yes, it is over four
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  Speaker 1: hundred and fifty miles. Well, Major, we've got good horses
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  Speaker 1: and they have had an easy time of it lately.
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  Speaker 1: How long do you think that we shall take? Well, Major,
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  Speaker 1: The horses can do forty miles a day if they
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  Speaker 1: have a day to rest. Halfway. Your horses can do
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  Speaker 1: more riding them with alternate days, but it would be
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  Speaker 1: as much as mine could do to manage that we
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: must take them by terrence call. They will give each
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: horse a partial rest one day out of three. Like
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: that they could do it, I should say major in
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: about a fortnight. They rode first to Breslau and thence
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: to Magdeburg, passing through many towns on the long journey,
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: but none of any great importance. At Magdeburg they heard
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: that they must make for Hanover, where they could be
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: able to ascertain the precise position of the Duke's army,
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: which was on the northern frontier of Westphalia. While the
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: French under the Duke of Broglio were advancing north from
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: Frankfort on Maine, another French army under Contatis was moving
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: against Ferdinland from the west. As it was probable that
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: there would at least be no great battle until the
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: two French armies combined, Fergus, who had already given his
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  Speaker 1: horse a two days complete rest, remained for three days
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: at Magdeburg as it was likely that he would have
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: to work them hard. When he joined the Duke five
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: days later, he rode into the Duke of Brunswick's principal camp,
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: which was near ar Snabruik, where was situated his central magazine.
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: I am glad to see you, Major Drummond, Duke said cordially,
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  Speaker 1: when Fergus reported himself. I thought perhaps the King would
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  Speaker 1: select you for the service, and I know how zealous
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: and active you are. I am greatly in need of
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: a staff officer who can speak English, but none of
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: mine can do. So I think that we shall have
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: some hard fighting here soon. You see that I am
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: very much in a position of the king menaced from
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  Speaker 1: two locations. If I moved to attack Contatas Broglio will
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: have Hanover entirely open to him, while if I move
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: against him, Contatas will capture Munster and us Nebruik and
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: get all my magazines, and might even push on and
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: occupy the town of Hanover before I could get back.
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: So you see, I have nothing to do but to
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: wait in this neighborhood until I see their designs. I
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: have some twelve thousand of your countrymen here, and I
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: rely upon them greatly. We know how they fought at Fontenoy.
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: Splendid fellows. They are there is a Scottish regiment with them,
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: whose appearance in kits and feathers is so in no
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: slight degree astonishes both the people and my own soldiers.
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: Their cavalry are very fine too. They have much heavier
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: horses than ours, and should be terrible in a charge.
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: How long have you been on the road, I have
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: been eighteen days, sir. I could have ridden faster myself,
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: having a spare charger, but my orderly could hardly travel
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: more rapidly. And indeed, when I got to Magdeburg and
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: found that it was not likely that there would be
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: any engagement for some time, I allowed the horses three
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: days rest, so that they should be fit for service
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: as soon as they arrived here. A tent was at
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: once erected in the staff lines for Fergus. He found
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: upon inquiry that the British division was at present at Munster.
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: He was invited by the Duke to dinner that evening,
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: and was introduced to the officials of the staff, who
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: received them courteously, but with some surprise that one so
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: young should not only bear the rank of major, but
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: the covenant insignia of the Black Eagle. The Duke, however,
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: when the introductions were over, gave him a short account
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: of the newcomer services, and after dinner begged Fergus to
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: tell him how he escaped for Lyntz, and they had
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: a hearty laugh of the matter which he and his
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: companions obtained their first disguise. I have heard something of this,
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: Colonel Zolwyn, the head of staff, said, Captain Stauffen and
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: Ritzer were both ordered here on their arrival at Berlin,
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: and though I have not met them, I have heard
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: from others of their escape from Lyntz, which they ascribe
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: entirely to a major of Marshall Keith's staff, who was
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: a fellow prisoner of theirs. For the next three weeks,
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: Fergus was on horseback from morning till night. The movements
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: of the troops were incessant. The two French generals maneuvered
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: with great skill, giving no opportunity for the Duke of
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: Brunswick to strike a blow at either Broglio. Guided by
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: a trescurates, peasants captured Minden by surprise. Contatis with thirty
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: thousand men, had taken up an unas sale of a position,
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: his right wing on the wiser and his left on
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: impassable bogs and quagmires, and with his front covered by
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: the Basteaux, a deep and unfordable brook. Thirty thousand of
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: his troops were occupied in besieging Munster and Osnabruk and
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: other places, and succeeded in capturing the latter, containing the
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: Duke's magazines of hay and cavalry forage. The Duke's position
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: became very great, and the French believed that in a
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: very short time they would be masters of all Hanover.
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: Broglio's force of twenty thousand men was on the east
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: side of the Weser, and Ferdinand was unable to move
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: to strike a blow at the detached force of Cantatis,
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: for had he done so, Broglio would have captured the
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: city of Hanover, which lay perfectly open to him within
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: a day's watch. Fergus had been specifically employed in carrying
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: dispatches to the British division, and had made many acquaintances
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: around the officers as the army gradually concentrated. When the
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: French forces drew closer together, he often spent the evening
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: in their tents when the day's work was done. In
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: the Scotch regiment, he was soon quite at home. The
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: fact that he was related to Marshall Keith, of whom
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: every Scotchman was proud and had been one of his
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: aides to camp, sufficed it itself to run to him
• 17:01
  Speaker 1: at once. Popular the officers followed with eager interest the
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: accounts of the various battles he had witnessed, and little
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: by little extracted from him some account and the manner
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: in which he had won his steps so rapidly. In
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: the Prussian service. He found that they, and the British
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: troops in general, had a profound dislike for Lord Sackville,
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: who commanded them, but who was especially in command of
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: their cavalry. All described him as a heavy, domineering fellow,
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: personally indolent and slow on ill terms with the Duke
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: of Brunswick, whom, in a quiet and obstinate way, he's
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: seen bent on thwarting. He is an ill conditioned brute.
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: One of the officer's remarked, the only thing to be
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: said for him is that he is not deficient in
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: personal courage. He has fought several duels into which he
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: brought himself by his overbearing temper, though he had frequently
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: carried dispatches to Sackville, Fergus had not exchanged a word
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: with him. The English general had taken the paper from
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: his hand, barely acknowledging his salute, and not indeed glancing
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: at him, but turning on his feet and walking off
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: to read the contents of the despatch, which generally appeared
• 18:21
  Speaker 1: to displease him, judging by the manner in which he
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: spoke to his offices. Then he would go into his tent,
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: and one of his aides the camp would surely come
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: out with a letter containing his reply. Fergus naturally came
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: to regard the English commander with the same dislike that
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: his own officers fell for him. One day, when handing
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: him a despatch, he omitted the usual salute. Sackville noticed
• 18:49
  Speaker 1: it at once. Why do you not salute, sir? He said,
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: raising his head and for the first time looking at
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: the Duke's aide de camp. This is the twelve times
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: that I have brought dispatches from the Duke of Brunswick.
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: Upon each occasion I have made the military salute. By
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: the regulations of the army, I believe that the superior
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: officer is as much bound to return the salute as
• 19:14
  Speaker 1: the inferior officer is to render it. As you have
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: not chosen upon any one of these twelve occasions to
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: return my salute, I see no reason why I should
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: continue to give it. Sackville looked at him as he
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: shouted in English with astonishment. Rage, and who that devil
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: are you? I am, Major Fergus Drummond, a companion of
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: the Order of the Black Eagle, and an aid de
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: camp of the King of Prussia. The deuce you are,
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: Sackville said, insolently. I did not know that the King
• 19:48
  Speaker 1: of Prussia promoted lads to be majors, chose them from
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: his aid to camps, and made them companions of his order. Then, sir,
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: you know it now, Fergus said quietly, and for explanation
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: of my rank, I beg to refer you to the
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: Duke of Brudsmith, who will, I doubt not be not
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: unwilling to explain the matters to you. I shall report
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: your insolence to the Duke at any rate, Sir, were
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: it not for my position here, I would myself condescend
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: to give you the lesson of which you seem to
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: me to be in want. I should doubt it so
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: whether I could receive any lesson at your hands, but
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: after this affair has terminated, I shall be happy to
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: afford you an opportunity of endeavoring to do so, Lord
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: Sackville was on the point of replying with the colonel
• 20:40
  Speaker 1: and his staff, whom Fergus admitt at dinner at the
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: Duke's and who spoke German fluently, came up and said,
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: pardon me, General, Can I speak to you for a moment.
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: Fergus reined back his horse a length of two while
• 20:56
  Speaker 1: the officers spoke rapidly to Lord Sackville. I don't care
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: a fig, the latter burked out passionately. The officer continued
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: to speak. The General listened sullenly. Then, turning to Fergus,
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: he said, well, sir, we shall leave the matter as
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: it is. As soon as this battle is over, I
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: shall wave my rank and meet you. I shall be
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: ready at any time, Fergus said, and then formally saluting,
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: he rode away. I suppose you have no answer, Major Drummond,
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: the Duke said, when he returned to his quarter. But
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: indeed there is none needed. I have no answer, sir,
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: and indeed did not wait for one. Lord Sackville, and
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: I had somewhat a hot alterification, and he related word
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: for word what had passed. It is a pity, but
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: I cannot blame you, the Duke said, when Fergus had finished.
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: The man has given me a great deal of trouble
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: ever since he joined us with his force. He is
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: always slow in obeying orders, sometimes he seems willfully to
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: misunderstand them, and altogether he is a thorn in my side.
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: I am glad indeed that the British Infantry Division are
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: entirely under my control. With them, I have no difficulty whatever.
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: He was entirely in the wrong in this manner, and
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: I certainly should address a remonstrance to him on the
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: subject of his manner and language to un of my staff.
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: But our relations are already unpleasantly strained, and any open
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: breach between us might bring about a serious disaster. I
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: certainly should not wish that you should make any allusions
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: to the matter, sir. Possibly I may have an opportunity
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: of teaching him to be more polite after we are
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: done with the French. By two sudden strokes, the Duke
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: in the third week of July obtained position of Bremen,
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: thereby obtaining a port by which that reinforcements from England
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: could reach him, and also recaptured us Neetabrook, and found
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: to his great set satisfaction that the French had also
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: established a magazine there, so that the stores were even
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: larger than when they had taken it from him. The
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: great point was to induce Cantatas to move from his
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: impregnable position. He knew that both Cantatas and Broglio were
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: as anxious as he was to bring about a battle.
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: Did they but see an advantage opportunity, and he took
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: a bold step to tempt them on July thirtieth. On
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: the thirtieth of July, he sent the Hereditary Prince with
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: a force of ten thousand men to make a circuit
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: and fall upon Goefeld ten miles up Deuisa, and so
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: cut the line by which Cantatas brought up food for
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: his army from Cassel, seventy miles to the south. Such
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: a movement would compel the French either to fight or
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: to fall back. It was a bold and had it
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: not succeeded, would have been deemed a rash one, for
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: it left him with but thirty six thousand men to
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: face the greatly superior force of the French. The bait
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: proved too tempting for the French generals. It seemed to
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: them that the Duke had committed a fatal mistake. His
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: left leaning on the Wisa, was by the march of
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: the force to Goefeld left unsupported at a distance of
• 24:20
  Speaker 1: three miles from the center, and it seems to them
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: that they could now hurl themselves into the gap, destroy
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: the Duke's left, and then crush his center and right
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: and cut off whatever remnant might escape from Hanover. On Tuesday,
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: evening July first, the French got into motion as soon
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: as it was dark During the night, Cantanus crossed by
• 24:43
  Speaker 1: nineteen bridges that he had thrown across the Basto, while
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: at the same time Broglai out crossed the Weiser by
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: the bridge of the town and took up his position
• 24:54
  Speaker 1: facing the Prussian left wing, which rested on the village
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: of Tartzenhausen in ten to attack him early in the
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: morning and to finish before the Duke could bring the
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: center to his assistance. Feeling sure that the French would
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: fall into the trap, the Duke ordered his cavalry to
• 25:12
  Speaker 1: mount at one o'clock in the morning and moved in
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: with his troops from the villagers around which they were encamped,
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: closing in towards Minden, whereby the center gradually came into
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: touch with the left, the whole forming a segment of circle,
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: of which Minden was the center. The French also formed
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: a segment of a similar circle nearer to Minden. Contatus
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: was a long time getting his troops into position, for
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: a great confusion was caused by their having crossed by
• 25:48
  Speaker 1: so many bridges, and it took hours to range them
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: in order of battle. Broglio was in position facing the
• 25:55
  Speaker 1: Duke's left at five o'clock in the morning. He was
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: strong in artillery and infantry, but as the ground on
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: both flanks was unfavorable for the action of cavalry, these
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: were all posted in the center. The cavalry indeed was
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: the strongest portion of the force. They numbered ten thousand
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: and were the flowers of the French army. The Duke
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: placed six regiments of British infantry in his center. They
• 26:23
  Speaker 1: were the twelfth, twentieth, twenty third, twenty fifth, thirty seventh
• 26:28
  Speaker 1: and fifty first some regiments have had no Varians were
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: in line behind him. The British cavalry were on the
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: Duke's right. The morning was misty and it was not
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: until eight o'clock that both sides were ready, and indeed,
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: even then Cantata's infantry was not finally settled in its position.
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: The battle began with an attack by some Hessen regiment
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: on the village of Hanland, and by a very heavy
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: fire of artillery on both sides. The orders to the
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: English regiments had been marched to attack the enemy on
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: sound of drum, meaning that they were to move when
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: the drums gave the signal for the advance. The English, however,
• 27:11
  Speaker 1: understood the order to be you are to advance to
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: the sound of your drums. They waited for a time
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: while the attack on Holland continued. It was repulsed three
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: times before it succeeded. But before this happened, the English
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: regiments lost patience and said we ought to be moving.
• 27:31
  Speaker 1: The drums therefore struck up, and to the astonishment of
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: the Hanovarians, these English battalions strode away towards the enemy. However,
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: the regiments of the second line followed as the British
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: stepped forward. A tremendous crossfire of artillery opened upon them,
• 27:50
  Speaker 1: thirty guns on one side and as many on the other.
• 27:54
  Speaker 1: But in spite of this, the six regiments passed on unfalteringly,
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: with their drums beating lustily behind them. Then there was
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: a movement in the front, and a mighty mass of
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: French cavalry poured down upon them. The English halted, closed
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: up the gaps made by the artillery, held their fire
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: until the leading squadrons of the French were within forty paces,
• 28:20
  Speaker 1: then opened a tremendous file fire before it, man and
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: horse went down at so short a distance every bullet
• 28:28
  Speaker 1: found its billet, and for the first time in history,
• 28:31
  Speaker 1: a line of infantry repulsed the attack of a vastly
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: superior body of cavalry. Astonished and hampered by the fallen
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: men and horses of their first line, the French cavalry
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: reined up and trotted sullenly back to reform and repeat
• 28:48
  Speaker 1: the charge. The British drums beat furiously as the French
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: rode forward again, only to be repulsed. As before six
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: times did the cavalry, with a bravery worthy of their repute,
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: renewed the charge as the leading squadrons wither it up
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: under the storm of shot. Then they could do no
• 29:06
  Speaker 1: more but rode back in a broken and confused mass
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: through the gaps between their infantry, throwing these also into
• 29:14
  Speaker 1: partial confusion. Ride to Lord Sackville and tell him to
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: charge what his cavalry at once. The Duke said to Fergus,
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: and then checking himself, said no, I had better send
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: somewhere else, and repeated the order to another of his staff.
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: Sackville only replied that he did not see his way
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: to doing so. A second, and then a third officer
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: was sent to him with a like result, and at
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: last he himself left his cavalry and rode to the
• 29:44
  Speaker 1: Duke and inquired how am I to go on? The
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: Duke curbed his anger at seeing the fruits of victory lost,
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: he replied, quietly, my lord, the opportunity is now passed,
• 29:56
  Speaker 1: harassed only by the fire of the British and Hanovian
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: guns and by that of the British infantry. Cantatis drew
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: off his army by the nineteen Bridges into his stronghold. Broglio,
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: who had done nothing save keep up a cannonade covered
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: the retreat with his division. The total amount of loss
• 30:17
  Speaker 1: on the Duke side was two thousand, eight hundred and
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: twenty two, of which more than half belonged to the
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: British infantry. The French loss was seven thousand and eighty six,
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: with their heavy guns and many flags. But had Sackville
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: done his duty, their army would have been annihilated. Pent
• 30:35
  Speaker 1: up as it was, with the river on each flank
• 30:38
  Speaker 1: convergent to each other at Midden, a perfect rat trap
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: from which no army could have escaped had it been
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: hotly pressed by cavalry. The feet performed by the British
• 30:51
  Speaker 1: infantry astonished Europe, who were at first almost incredulous that
• 30:55
  Speaker 1: six regiments in line could have repulsed over and over
• 30:59
  Speaker 1: again and finally driven off the field ten thousand and
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: a best cavalry of France. While the battle was raging.
• 31:07
  Speaker 1: The hereditary Prince has done his share of the work.
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: Had fallen upon Goefeld crushed the French division guarding it,
• 31:15
  Speaker 1: cutting the French from their magazines and rendering their position untenable.
• 31:20
  Speaker 1: They received the news that evening and at once commenced
• 31:24
  Speaker 1: their retreat Broglio towards Frankfort and Contatus straight to the Rhine.
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: The latter was obliged to abandon all his baggage and
• 31:35
  Speaker 1: many of his guns, and his army by the time
• 31:38
  Speaker 1: it had reached the Rhine had become a mere rabble.
• 31:41
  Speaker 1: The general was at once recalled in disgrace and Broglio
• 31:46
  Speaker 1: appointed commander in chief. Although, by failing to carry out
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: the orders he had received to fall upon the Allies
• 31:55
  Speaker 1: left at five in the morning, he had largely contributed
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: to the defeat that had befallen Cantatas end of chapter sixteen,