Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - XVII. Gustavus II. Adolphus. The German War. A.D. 1628—1632
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
278
Position of the hostile annies.
Plans of Wallenstciii. HISTORY OF THE SWEDES.
His irruption into Saxony.
Measures for its defeat.
[1628—
at Nuremberg, the whole force did not exceed ten
thousand, or at the highest fifteen thousand foot,
and nine or ten thousand horse ;
at least so far as
was known to the king. In Forchheiin Walleu-
stein stayed from ten to fourteen days. Here he first
received information that the king of Sweden, with
lialf his army, had turned against Bavaria, and left
duke Bernard with the other half in the vicinity
of the Maine. The elector of Bavaria now took
his way homewards, requesting that Altringer
with his regiment and Colloredo might be allowed
to follow, to marshal the laudwehr of Bavaria, which
Wallenstein permitted, escorting the elector to
Bamberg. Although secret foes, they wore an
amicable mien at their leave-taking; yet it was re-
marked that Wallenstein was not so supple as the
old elector. Wallenstein’s sojourn in Bamberg
caused suspicion that an assault was contemplated
upon Schweinfurt, where the Swedish colonel
Charles Hard was commandant. The latter aug-
mented his force, and duke Bernard of Weimar
hastened to the defence of the town ^. Wallenstein
therefore directed his march against Baireuth,
Culmbaeh, and Coburg, took the first and last of
these towns, but was repulsed in an attempt to
storm the castle of Coburg, by the Swedish com-
mandant DubatelP". Duke Bernard had come
about this time from Schweinfurt to Konigshofen,
and theuce moved to Hildburghausen, on the edge
of the Thuringian forest. Wallenstein designed to
penetrate into Thuringia, where Pappenheim was
to have joined him. Then all the passes across the
Thuringian forest would have been barred against
the king ;
Wallenstein and Pappenheim would
have retaken Erfurt, made themselves mastere of
Thuringia, overrun the country of the dukes of
Weimar, occupied winter-quarters in Saxony, and
next spring invaded Lusatia and Silesia. Wallen-
stein would have gained the command of the Elbe,
cut off the retreat of the king of Sweden, recovered
once moi’e his duchy of Mecklenburg, and soon
again stood on the shore of the Baltic.—The first
portion of this plan of Wallenstein, namely, the
reduction of Thuringia and Weimar, was frus-
trated by duke Bernard, who, though not suffici-
ently strong for an engagement m the open field,
yet defended the pass, by which he rendered the
them, that was to reinforce the advanced posts, and send
there good pickets of cavalry, mingled with dragoons and
musketeers. These had orders to keep themselves con-
cealed, and wait till the Croats came within range of their
muskets, which carrying farther than carabines, pierced
these lightly-clad runners without their being able to defend
themselves ; at the same time the cavalry, which had opened
to allow passage to the fire of the musketry, was to surround
them." I.e. 163. This was the same expedient used by the
king at Leipsic against the Croats.
9 The king had committed to duke Bernard of Weimar
the defence of Schweinfurt and the pass into the Thuringian
forest.
" As we are apprehensive on account of Schweinfurt
and the pass, we beg your lovingness to keep a watchful eye
upon it," writes the king to duke Bernard, Dunkelsbiihl,
Sept. 21, lfi32. Rose, i. 172.
10 The name is also written Taupadell and Tupadel.
n " Then first did desolation rightly fall upon Saxony."
Theatruni Europa^um, ii. 743. Compare Gualdo’s narrative
before cited of Hoik’s proceedings in Saxony, and what the
Theatrum Europa^um relates of Gallas. From Wallenstein’s
letter to Gallas: "
Pray the Lord ye keep sharp justice, and
see that not the least thing is taken from the peasants and
country-folk," &’c. (Forster’s Wallenstein, Potsdam, 1834,
king a great service. Nor did Pappenheim dare to
seek a junction with the emperor’s commander-
in-chief, ere he learned that the latter had in-
vaded Meissen upon another side through Voigt-
land. For thither Wallenstein now followed the
tracks of Hoik and Gallas with fire and sword"
(the war, says the narrator, seeming to be waged
not by enemies but furies), in order to essay the
accomplishment of his main plan in this way >. The
elector of Saxony in his distress called Gustavus
Adolphus for the second time to his rescue.
The king, before whom Montecuculi in Bavaria
had retired to Ratisbon, was in the mind to pur-
sue him and penetrate into Austria. He was
busied in Newburg with despatching various stores
by the Danube, and preparing to besiege Ingolstadt,
whose garrison, weakened by the plague, was not
supposed able to make a long resistance, when a
courier from Oxenstierna, on the 8th October,
brought him the intelligence that Wallenstein on
the 5tli had directed his march through Voigt-
land towards Saxony.
—The king formed his deci-
sion in a moment. To the Palsgrave Christian
of Birkenfeld he confided the care of defending
Bavaria with the newly-levied Swiss and other
troops. Three brigades of infantry he ordered to go
with the queen (who accompanied him on this ex-
pedition), to Schweinfurt and the Thuringian forest.
He himself, with the cavalry, took his way toward
Nuremberg, the neighbourhood of which he cleared
of the enemy. There he communicated with
Kniphausen, who was ordered to proceed in the
same direction, while he with his body-guard alone
(three hundred Smaland dragoons, under colonel
Frederic Stenbock), hastened from Nuremberg to
overtake duke Bernard of Weimar, whom he found
at Schleusingen on the 21st October. They con-
tinued their march through the Thuringian forest
to Arnstadt, where the king stayed six days, wait-
ing for his troops, who came up on the 27th Oc-
tober *. His meeting with Bernard of Weimar was
cold. The duke had wished to reap the honour of
rescuing Saxony for himself, and, restrained by the
king’s express order, awaited his arrival with dis-
content. On the battle-field of Lutzeu Bernard ol
Weimar forgot his unjust dissatisfaction ^. At
p. 195), Fbrster takes occasion to impeach older historians,
who have spoken of Wallenstein’s cruel mode of war {even
his soldiers called him the tyrant) of " unconscientious dis-
honesty." Even if we do not distinguish here between what
Wallenstein wished and what he possibly could not help, yet
the consideration will always remain, that we have to do with
a man whose unshakeablc principle it was never to compro-
mise himself in writing. Forster likewise, with all his merits
as to the history of Wallenstein, has in our opinion the fault
of having judged him too much according to the letter.
’
This whole narration is an abstract from the Swedish In-
telligencer, iii. 76—91, a collection which shortly appeared
of the letters and relations of English and Scottish officers
serving in the Swedish army. The fourth edition, London,
1634, lies before us. We subjoin the following from the
Theatrum Europ<fium, ii. 740 :
" It then appeared as if the
duke of Friedland’s design would succeed, which was, to re-
duce in a short time under his power the electorate of Sax-
ony, and after to repair through March-Brandenburg to his
lost territories, Mecklenburg, Stargard, and Rostock—espe-
cially since the Saxon army was stationed a long way thence
in Silesia, and could not be commanded back in such sudden
haste."
2 Swedish Intelligencer, iii. 64—71.
3 That the hero-souled, but too passionate Bernard of
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
