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47 - Worlds Famous Orations - Continental Europe by William Jennings Bryan · Worlds Famous Orations - Continental Europe

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  Speaker 1: Section forty seven of the World's Famous Orations, Volume seven,
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  Speaker 1: Continental Europe. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
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  Speaker 1: are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer,
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  Speaker 1: please visit LibriVox dot org. Read by Caden b The
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  Speaker 1: World's Famous Orations, Volume seven, Continental Europe by William Jennings Bryan,
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  Speaker 1: Section forty seven. Frederic the Great two to his generals
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  Speaker 1: before the Battle of Luton, seventeen fifty seven. It is
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  Speaker 1: not unknown to you, gentlemen, what disasters have befallen here
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  Speaker 1: while we were busy with the French and Reich's army.
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  Speaker 1: Swedenitz is gone, Duke of Bevern, Bete Breslaugon, and all
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  Speaker 1: our war stores there, a good part of Seliza gone.
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  Speaker 1: And in fact my embarrassment would be at the impossible pitch,
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  Speaker 1: had not I boundless trust in you and your qualities,
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  Speaker 1: which have been so often manifested as soldiers and sons
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  Speaker 1: of your country. Hardly one among you but has distinguished
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  Speaker 1: himself by some nobly memorable action. All these services to
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  Speaker 1: the state and to me I know well and will
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  Speaker 1: never forget. I flatter myself therefore that in this case
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  Speaker 1: too nothing will be wanting which the state has a
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  Speaker 1: right to expect of your valor. The hour is at hand,
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  Speaker 1: I should not think I had done nothing if I
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  Speaker 1: left the Austrians in possession of Selizia. Let me apprize you.
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  Speaker 1: Then I intend, in spite of the rules of art,
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  Speaker 1: to attack Prince Karl's army, which is nearly twice our strength,
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  Speaker 1: wherever I find it. The question is not of his
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  Speaker 1: numbers or the strength of his position. All this by courage,
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  Speaker 1: by the skill of our methods. We will try to
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  Speaker 1: make good this step. I must risk where everything is lost.
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  Speaker 1: We must beat the enemy or perish all of us
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  Speaker 1: before his batteries. So I read the case, so I
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  Speaker 1: will act in it. Make this my determination known to
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  Speaker 1: all officers of the army, Prepare the men for what
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  Speaker 1: work is now to ensue, and say that I hold
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  Speaker 1: myself entitled to demand exact fulfillment of orders for you.
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  Speaker 1: When I reflect that you are Prussians. Can I think
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  Speaker 1: that you will act unworthily. But if there should be
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  Speaker 1: one or another who dreads to share all dangers with me,
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  Speaker 1: he can have his discharge this evening, and shall not
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  Speaker 1: suffer the least reproach from me. Ha I knew it,
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  Speaker 1: none of you would desert me. I depend on your
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  Speaker 1: help then, and on victory as sure. The cavalry regiment
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  Speaker 1: that does not, on this instant, on orders given dash
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  Speaker 1: full plunge into the enemy, I will directly after the
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  Speaker 1: battle unhorse and make it a garrison regiment. The infantry battalion,
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  Speaker 1: which meet with what it may, shows the least sign
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  Speaker 1: of hesitancy, loses its colors and its sabers, and I
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  Speaker 1: cut the trimmings from its uniform. Now good night, gentlemen.
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  Speaker 1: Shortly we have either beaten the enemy or we never
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  Speaker 1: see one another again. End of Section forty seven