第 18 节
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of it; completely his on both the exposed or Anti…Prussian faces。 Friedrich feels uncertain whether he has not gone his ways altogether; but proposes to ascertain by break of day。
By break of day Friedrich starts; having cleared off certain Pandour swarms visible in places of difficulty; who go on first notice; and without shot fired。 'Lloyd; i。 61 et seq。 (or Tempelhof's Translation; i。 151…164); Tempelhof's own Account is; i。 179…196; Retzow's; i。 120…149 (fewer errors of detail than usual); Kutzen; Der Tag von Kolin (Breslau; 1857); a useful little compilation from many sources。 Very incorrect most of the common accounts are; Kausler's Schlachten; Jomini; and the like。' Marches through Planian in two columns; along the Kolin Highway and to north of it; marches on; four or five miles farther; nothing visible but the skirts of retiring Pandours;〃Daun's rear…guard probably?〃 Friedrich himself is with Ziethen; who has the vanguard; as Friedrich's wont is; eagerly enough looking out; reaches a certain Inn on the wayside (WIRTHSHAUS 〃of Slatislunz or GOLDEN…SUN;〃 say the Modern Books;though I am driven to think it Novomiesto; nearer Planian; but will not quarrel on the subject); Inn of good height for one thing; and there; mounting to the top…story or perhaps the leads; descries Daun; stretching far and wide; leant against the Kamhayek; in the summer morning。 What a sight for Friedrich: 〃Big game SHALL be played; then; death sure; this day; to thousands of men: and to me? Well!〃
Friedrich calls halt: rest here a little; to consider; examine; settle how。 A hot close morning; rest for an hour or two; till our rear from Kaurzim come up: horses and men will be the better for it;horses can have a mouthful of grass; mouthful of water; some of them 〃had no drink last night; so late in getting home。〃 Poor quadrupeds; they also have to get into a blaze of battle…rage this day; and be blown to pieces a great many of them;in a quarrel not of their seeking! Horse and rider are alike satisfied on that latter point; silently ready for the task THEY have; and deaf on questions that are bottomless。
At this Hostelry of Novomiesto (not of Slatislunz or 〃GOLDEN…SUN〃 at all; which is a 〃Sun〃 fallen dismally eclipsed in other ways '〃The Inn of Slati…Slunz was burnt; about twenty years ago; nothing of it but the stone walls now dates from Friedrich's time。 It is a biggish solid…looking House of two stories (whether ever of three; I could not learn); stands pleasantly; at the crown of a long rise from Kolin;and inwardly; alas; in our day; offers little but bad smells and negative quantities! Only the ground… floor is now inhabited。 From the front; your view northward; Nimburg way; across the Elbe Valley; is fertile; wide…waving; pretty: but rearward; upstairs;having with difficulty got permission;you find bare balks; tattered feathers; several hundredweight of pigeon's dung; and no outlook at all; except into walls of office…houses and the overhanging brow of Heights;fatal; clearly; to any view of Daun; even from a third story!〃 (TOURIST'S NOTE; 1858。)Tempelhof (UBI SUPRA) seems to have known the right; place; not; Retzow; or almost anybody since: and indeed the question; except for expressly Military people; is of no moment。'); Friedrich halted for three hours and more; saw Daun developing himself into new Order of Battle; 〃every part of his position visible;〃 considered with his whole might what was to be tried upon him;and about noon; having made up his mind; called his Generals; in sight of the phenomenon itself there; to give them their various orders and injunctions in regard to the same。 The Plan of Fight; which was thought then; and is still thought by everybody; an excellent one;resting on the 〃oblique order of attack;〃 Friedrich's favorite mode;was; if the reader will take his Map; conceivable as follows。
Daun has by this time deployed himself; in three lines; or two lines and a reserve; on the high…lying Champaign south of the Planian…Kolin Great Road; south; say a mile; and over the crests of the rising ground; or Kamhayek ridge; so that from the Great Road you can see nothing of him。 His line; swaying here and there a little; to take advantage of its ground; extends nearly five miles; from east to west; pointing towards Planian side; the left wing of it; from Planian; eastward; the way Friedrich has marched; Daun's left wing may be four miles distant。 On the other side; Daun's right wingmain line always pretty parallel to the Highway; and pointing rather southward of Kolinreaches to the small Hamlet of Krzeczhorz; which is two miles off Kolin。 In front of his centre is a Village called Chotzemitz (from which for a while; in those months; the Battle gets its name; 〃Battle of Chotzemitz;〃 by Daun's christening): in front of him; to right or to left of Chotzemitz; are some four or even six other Villages (dim rustic Hamlets; invisible from the High Road); every Village of which Daun has well beset with batteries; with good infantry; not to speak of Croat parties hovering about; or dismounted Pandours squatted in the corn。 That easternmost Village of his is spelt 〃Krzeczhorz〃 (unpronounceable to mankind); a dirty little place; in and round which the Battle had its hinge or cardinal point: the others; as abstruse of spelling; all but equally impossible to the human organs; we will forbear to name; except in case of necessity。 Half a mile behind Krzeczhorz (let us write it Kreczor; for the future: what can we do?); is a thin little Oak…wood; bushes mainly; but with sparse trees too; which is now quite stubbed out; though it was then important enough; and played a great part in the result of this day's work。 Radowesnitz; a pronounceable little Village; half a mile farther or southward of the Oak…bush; is beyond the extremity of Daun's position; low down on a marshy little Brook; which oozes through lakes and swamps towards Kolin; in the northerly direction。
Most or all of these Villages are on little Brooks (natural thirst so leading them): always some little runlet of water; not so swampy when there is any fall for it; in general lively when it gets over the ridge; and becomes visible from this Highway。 And it is curious to see what a considerable dell; or green ascending chasm; this little thread of water; working at all moments for thousands of years; has hollowed out for itself in the sloping ground; making a great military obstacle; if you are mounting to attack there。 Poor Czech Hamlets all of them; dirty; dark; mal…odorous; ignorant; abhorrent of German speech;in what nook those inarticulate inhabitants; diving underground at a great rate this morning; have hidden themselves to…day; I know not。 The country consists of knolls and slopes; with swamps intermediate; rises higher on the Planian side; but except the top of that Kamhayek ridge on the Planian side; and 〃Friedrich's…Berg〃 on the Kolin side; there is nothing that you could think of calling a Hill; though many Books (and even Friedrich's Book) rashly say otherwise。 Friedrich's…Berg; now so called; is on the north side of the Highway: half a mile northeastward of Slatislunz; the mal…odorous Inn。 A conical height of perhaps a hundred and fifty feet; rises rather suddenly from the still…sloping ground; checking the slope there; on which the Austrian populations have built some memorial lately; notable to Tourists。 Here Friedrich 〃stood during the Battle;〃 say they; and the Prussians 〃had a battery there。〃 Which remains uncertain to me; at least the battery part of it: that Friedrich himself was there; now and then; can be believed; but not that he kept 〃standing there〃 for long together。 Friedrich's…Berg does command some view of the Kreczor scene; which at times was cardinal; at others not: but Friedrich did not stand anywhere: 〃oftenest in the thick of the fire;〃 say those who saw。
Friedrich; from his Inn near Planian; seeing how Daun deploys himself; considers him impregnable on the left wing; impregnable; too; in front: not so on the Kreczor side; right flank and rear; but capable of being rolled together; if well struck at there。 Thither therefore; that is his vulnerable point。 March along his front: quietly parallel in due Order of Battle; till we can bend round; and plunge in upon that。 The Van; which consists of Ziethen's Horse and Hulsen's Infantry; Van; having faced to right at the proper moment and so become Left Wing; will attack Kreczor; probably carry it; each Division following will in like manner face to right when it arrives there; and fall on in regular succession in support of Hulsen (at Hulsen's right flank; if Hulsen be found prospering): our Right Wing is to refuse itself; and be as a Reserve;no fighting on the road; you others; but steady towards Hulsen; in continual succession; all you; no facing round; no fighting anywhere; till we get thither:〃March!〃
The word is given about 2 P。M。; and all; on the instant; is in motion; rolls steadily eastward; in two columns; which will become First Line and Second。 One along the Highway; the second at due distance leftward on the green ground; no hedge or other obstacle obstructing in that part of the world。 Daun's batteries; on the right; spit at them in passing; to no pu