tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57441708301074873922024-03-15T21:09:28.143-04:00Kabinettskriege:An Eighteenth-Century Digital Humanities Project Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14756736665642650392noreply@blogger.comBlogger267125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-24080166331117502812023-07-24T12:33:00.000-04:002023-07-24T12:33:17.608-04:00Book Review: The War of Bavarian Succession by Alexander Querengässer <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlAQfrVVU2HME6VkVMazLigbxP1VweGP5YQ1xosLprSK5xpApCwDrECSc0XERCmPIJrtZc2xpX6HrewbM653xi5b7p81hvIj0Dhv5DFb0Tg0yEYDVJJbqOEGni8Y5zOr3gKYxDAFYpsT5wrzyyL76u3S0FSIYfSBpLhCNoQiGXF4gNuiLtI4NtS1rv-ao" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1386" data-original-width="1005" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlAQfrVVU2HME6VkVMazLigbxP1VweGP5YQ1xosLprSK5xpApCwDrECSc0XERCmPIJrtZc2xpX6HrewbM653xi5b7p81hvIj0Dhv5DFb0Tg0yEYDVJJbqOEGni8Y5zOr3gKYxDAFYpsT5wrzyyL76u3S0FSIYfSBpLhCNoQiGXF4gNuiLtI4NtS1rv-ao=w290-h400" width="290" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p>Dear Reader,</p><p>Today, we are reviewing the first English-language book covering the military aspects of the War of Bavarian Succession. Alexander Querengässer has provided a fine short volume, replete with many plates that will delight wargamers and reenactors. Often ignored for the more well-known Seven Years War and War of Austrian Succession, the War of Bavarian Succession is the final military showing of Prussian King Frederick II ("the Great"). The lackluster performance of the armies in this war (there were no decisive set piece battles) has led many historians to underestimate the war's importance. It is popularly remembered in Germany as the "Potato War" or <i>Kartoffelkrieg</i>, after the crop that starving soldiers turned to in order to feed themselves. </p><p>For those who are blissfully unaware, the War of Bavarian Succession was a central European war running during the same time as the American War of Independence. During 1778-1779, Prussian, Austrian, and Saxon forces clashed in and around what is today Czechia and Poland. The war was fought over the disputed inheritance of Bavaria. If Bavaria passed into the hands of Austria, it would have completely upset the central European balance of power which emerged in the aftermath of the Seven Years War. Eventually, Russia entered the conflict as a mediator, causing a diplomatic victory for the Prusso-Saxon alliance, who did not want to see Bavaria in Austrian hands. </p><p>The result is a book that provides broad coverage of the war, with particular focus on the opposing armies. All of this comes together to test the central idea of Querengässer's study: was the Prussian army in decline? Querengässer's answer to this question is that the army had flaws, but was not in decline in the way that we often think. He provides careful coverage of the failings of the Prussian army supply system, and the way that the lack of supply handicapped Frederick's armies on campaign. The lack of substantive Prussian light troops also played a role in the shortcomings of the 1778-9 campaigns, but for Querengässer, the Prussian army still had many bright days ahead before its defeat in 1806. For him, the Prussian army was a stable force that struggled with severe limitations throughout Frederick's entire reign: the highs were not as high as we have been led to led to believe, but neither were the lows as low. Teleologically assuming that the Prussian army of 1757 was declining at a steady rate until 1806 is not tenable in his model. </p><p>The book's greatest strength lies in the structural treatment of all armies involved in the conflict, in the chapter titled, "Opposing Forces." Here, Querengässer spends twenty-four pages on the Prussian army, and eleven pages each on the Austrians and Saxons, living up to the book's subtitle. Prince Henry, the brother of the Prussian king, comes across as more innovative than Frederick the Great, as he formed light infantry battalions composed of volunteers when the shortcomings of his forces became apparent. This book is very much a structural history: there are forty pages covering the military operations of the war compared to forty seven on the structure and organization of the armies. None of the skirmishes or small actions of the war are presented at the tactical level, but a admirable amount of detail is given regarding Prussian logistical shortcomings. </p><p>Querengässer is fully open with the reader regarding the impact of COVID on the book: he had planned for a larger volume with much more archival research, including a trip to Vienna. COVID made this impossible. As a result, the book is heavily based on research that Querengässer performed at the Sächsiches Hauptstaatsarchiv Dresden. This is understandable for a scholar based in Saxony, but a bit more research in the Berlin-Dahlem Geheimes Staatsarchiv could have strengthened an already enjoyable volume. The printed sources include most of the standard references one would expect: the political correspondence of Frederick, as well as Berenhorst's writings; it was surprising not to find Schmettau or Holtzendorff's writings on the conflict included. </p><p>All in all, this is a volume that will become the natural starting place for study of the war in English, and the large amount of both period and modern visuals included will delight wargamers, reenactors, and historical enthusiasts. Querengässer should be congratulated on filling a long-absent gap in English-language historiography. <b><i>Recommended. </i></b></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you enjoyed this review, or any of our other posts, please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kabinettskriege/">liking us on facebook</a>, or <a href="https://twitter.com/KKriegeBlog">following us on twitter</a>. <a href="https://www.patreon.com/Kabinettskriege">Consider checking out our exclusive content on Patreon.</a> Finally, we are dedicated to keeping Kabinettskriege ad-free. In order to assist with this, please consider supporting us via the donate button in the upper right-hand corner of the page. As always:</span></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks for Reading,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Alex Burns </span></p>Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-58704451867295063152023-01-11T10:03:00.002-05:002023-01-11T10:03:20.335-05:00Prussian Army Discussion on The Life and Times of Frederick the Great Podcast<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhD3je1R-NpbDSrWkbhE0T4WD2yIe21mTu8a4vgTPPANVogsQr0ssbE_TpPr0jyLJwbHFCS5zZEw0dxDtUcfrFFEKIInMI1twhHKpb38A2bgfihhL5KqkY8aX-OD-0KwsqJicl6mVR1fbVZWu8esvBq4nOKsSEsSiwMZejw1I6iVIg_3mKUOXG_Fw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhD3je1R-NpbDSrWkbhE0T4WD2yIe21mTu8a4vgTPPANVogsQr0ssbE_TpPr0jyLJwbHFCS5zZEw0dxDtUcfrFFEKIInMI1twhHKpb38A2bgfihhL5KqkY8aX-OD-0KwsqJicl6mVR1fbVZWu8esvBq4nOKsSEsSiwMZejw1I6iVIg_3mKUOXG_Fw" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dear Readers,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wanted to attach a link for a podcast, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">The Life and Times of Frederick the Great, </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">where I was recently interviewed by the host, Alec Avdakov. Joining Alec was a lot of fun, and we had a wide ranging discussion on the Prussian Army in the era of the Silesian Wars. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://shows.acast.com/frederick-the-great-podcast/episodes/the-prussian-army-of-frederick-the-great-with-dr-alexander-b">Podcast Link</a><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"></div><p></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you enjoyed this podocast, or any of our other posts, please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kabinettskriege/">liking us on facebook</a>, or <a href="https://twitter.com/KKriegeBlog">following us on twitter</a>. <a href="https://www.patreon.com/Kabinettskriege">Consider checking out our exclusive content on Patreon.</a> Finally, we are dedicated to keeping Kabinettskriege ad-free. In order to assist with this, please consider supporting us via the donate button in the upper right-hand corner of the page. As always:</span></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks for Reading,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Alex </span></p>Kabinettskriegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11730940158271404499noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-80250904834883370762022-11-18T12:41:00.009-05:002022-11-19T19:22:01.365-05:00Remembering Dr. Christopher Duffy<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgh63-fhQTuq89DywhE1MA4Jo9uquwXKGRqks3SI9g5D3DOElH66_04nPRZcDeMA_sJR-IIE1XIhz-TK-NFLnyYnxdl_HbLQAwmtR6KEhFoatNZVrSPpKQ5tGDUgkSmZ6i7JtRjPlvzM0CTjhadoilhgiUD__XJfc6hAjgnGFr7HQClLzpWWOISE6w/s2048/315842720_10228970453675432_8578849676047792408_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgh63-fhQTuq89DywhE1MA4Jo9uquwXKGRqks3SI9g5D3DOElH66_04nPRZcDeMA_sJR-IIE1XIhz-TK-NFLnyYnxdl_HbLQAwmtR6KEhFoatNZVrSPpKQ5tGDUgkSmZ6i7JtRjPlvzM0CTjhadoilhgiUD__XJfc6hAjgnGFr7HQClLzpWWOISE6w/w427-h640/315842720_10228970453675432_8578849676047792408_n.jpg" title="Christopher Duffy at the 2003 Edinburgh International Book Festival (Photo by Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert)" width="427" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christopher Duffy at the 2003 Edinburgh International Book Festival<br />(Photo by Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert) </td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>On the morning of November 16th, Christopher Duffy passed away after a brief stay at Lewisham Hospital. A famed British historian, Christopher was 86, born in April of 1936. As the editor of Christopher's Festschrift, I've been asked to share about him in a few places, so I will confine my thoughts here to Christopher the man. Obviously, Christopher was a great historian, writer, scholar and military scientist. I'll address those parts of his legacy in other settings. Here, let's focus on what made Christopher a great man. </p><p>Dealing with death and loss is nothing new. Ecclesiastes reminds us there is nothing new under the sun. One of Christopher's favorite anecdotes about Frederick the Great was the story of the loss of his friend, Hans Karl von Winterfeldt. <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Winterfeld had been killed at the
Battle of Moys on September 7th, 1757. Frederick, hearing a rumor of this,
wrote a letter to Winterfeldt, saying, "Everything is going splendidly
here, but I am very worried by a rumor which has come to me from Lusatia. I
don't know what to make of it. They write to me from Dresden that you have been
killed." (</span><i>PC</i> 9336).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">And of course, Winterfeldt had been killed. This loss
effected Frederick, and late in life, as he talked about the Battle of Moys
with a young officer, he exclaimed, "'That was where Winterfeldt was
killed! He was a good man, a soulful man, he was my friend.' [Frederick's]
great eyes brimmed with tears as he looked towards the window. He open the
casement, and stood there some time before he turned back... softening his
voice: Good night, I am obliged to you."' (Ense, <i>Lebens des Generals Hans Karl von Winterfeldt, </i>233) </span></p><p>Frederick's comment on Winterfeldt: "he was a good man, a soulful man (ein Seelenmensch)" could equally be applied to Christopher. From 1995-2016, once a year Christopher traveled to South Bend, Indiana, in order to meet with the members of the Seven Years War Association, delivering an annual lecture on eighteenth-century warfare. It was in this context, in 2009 as a university student, that along with my father, uncle, and cousin, I met Christopher. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxerr4iMoWEWAHosYj9Ki91c-3Ta0r9s0tfiu0YNJwVM4sUFHpLouYxHHE602ldFnrq7yre-WVt-WsheQwgkRWvY6rVtsRHAjbMJdq6EaENCtvHkF9BWNKNlAjrXZ2TDRoQWiGNQnSOsXzTRrcciG8NjOBaQEKEIc-ylCtXNQnW0mzsbcQ2ug-1AA/s1600/DSC02583.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxerr4iMoWEWAHosYj9Ki91c-3Ta0r9s0tfiu0YNJwVM4sUFHpLouYxHHE602ldFnrq7yre-WVt-WsheQwgkRWvY6rVtsRHAjbMJdq6EaENCtvHkF9BWNKNlAjrXZ2TDRoQWiGNQnSOsXzTRrcciG8NjOBaQEKEIc-ylCtXNQnW0mzsbcQ2ug-1AA/w400-h300/DSC02583.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christopher delivering a lecture at the Seven Years War Association</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Meeting your heroes is always a dicey proposition. I'd been reading Christopher's books since I was 14, and was nervous at the prospect of meeting (at least in my mind), such a famous figure. Christopher gave a wonderful lecture. Unlike so many in senior positions, or hobbyists sunk into the arcane discussions of their craft, Christopher was immediately friendly to my cousin Peter and I (the youngest people at this convention by ~15 years). He had the unenviable task of giving the jealously sought after association award that year. He chose to give it to Dean West, for, among other reasons, being particularly welcoming, "to the young people."</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFxj-Fpw92xzYOu-iTQoTFLxL7O6R787SO91LkTgO2Q72CegCxZ5NP3OUAc32qBYS1hOJd3px5mzhF8ldHxqZ7UKFajIRg1qj45_6YCkmIwdi4cUn0xZgc6G7FD4tT4OuZ-FUbeYUeMF69T7iJPcdB7-qOrub2ZQ5r2efCvga-TYEaWXAsmG2Tu2X1/s1600/IMAG0203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFxj-Fpw92xzYOu-iTQoTFLxL7O6R787SO91LkTgO2Q72CegCxZ5NP3OUAc32qBYS1hOJd3px5mzhF8ldHxqZ7UKFajIRg1qj45_6YCkmIwdi4cUn0xZgc6G7FD4tT4OuZ-FUbeYUeMF69T7iJPcdB7-qOrub2ZQ5r2efCvga-TYEaWXAsmG2Tu2X1/w400-h240/IMAG0203.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Over the next few years, my family and I continued to attend the convention, and I continued to speak with Christopher. Christopher always made time to sign his books, talk with me about painfully obscure questions related to eighteenth-century warfare, and give pithy advice on the nature of being a historian, such as: </p><p>"There are many places worse than small universities, big ones for a start."</p><p>"Nothing is as sinister as department policy"</p><p>"Military institutions are like hotels: look for cracks in the plaster". </p><p>"Choose a subject that will bring you to interesting people and interesting places."</p><p>You can hear some of that advice from an interview that I did with Christopher in 2020.</p><p><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Gdmat6YZXyxagd0VKUZVK0xEoZuBrI1_/view?usp=sharing">June, 2020 Interview Selection</a><br /></p><p> As I graduated college, and began graduate school, the nature of my relationship with Christopher became more professional. I performed research for him at the National Archives of the United States, he wrote a letter of recommendation which helped secure me a place to complete my doctorate. What didn't change, however, was his witty, fun-loving demeanor, always ready to crack a joke in order to set the room at ease. Most of his lectures began with a rousing, "Listen up, you scum!" a line I still use on my undergraduate students to their delight. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_B4AV71iaN4WyGa2aKskjivi3_1jcqFaB2Z41GHIMa7ASbJpsiHVw4LaWmhSWtFNo_RTSsCh7LyjWiTyq51Bxvl9ngCWN-PF9YfEHrYV1pegyHgrgY_0Hjr_SPRMVcFC54gchG9kw1nrWi3WpaY4waCzJQmvNu5xL90bhfg-NKLti2t5dtILAygBA/s2048/315717609_10228971261135618_1949010401626418322_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_B4AV71iaN4WyGa2aKskjivi3_1jcqFaB2Z41GHIMa7ASbJpsiHVw4LaWmhSWtFNo_RTSsCh7LyjWiTyq51Bxvl9ngCWN-PF9YfEHrYV1pegyHgrgY_0Hjr_SPRMVcFC54gchG9kw1nrWi3WpaY4waCzJQmvNu5xL90bhfg-NKLti2t5dtILAygBA/w400-h300/315717609_10228971261135618_1949010401626418322_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Even as our relationship became more professional, you couldn't get away from the sense that he was a total ham. After celebrating his 80th birthday with the Seven Years War Association in 2016, Christopher could no longer travel to the United States: the costs, combined with his health, had simply become too great. As a result of European travel for my dissertation research, I had the opportunity to travel and see him (and perform research for him at the UK National Archives) for a number of summers between 2018-2020. He remained ever cheerful, and optimistic. Despite his advanced age, he remained focused on his work, always coming up with new ideas for projects to explore warfare in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In 2022, he remained cheerful and determined, even as he knew the end was approaching. </p><p>Christopher was a great man: and he knew it. He'd always relish that border control agents had read his books. That greatness, however, didn't make him proud, aloof, remote, or guarded. He was warm, kind, generous, and whimsical. He tells us in his 2019 introduction to<i> The Wild Goose and the Eagle, </i> at the age of 10,<i> </i>"when I walked and cycled through the then mysterious and gnat-ridden marshes of upper Mersey, I liked to populate them in my imagination with Theresa's white coats and the blue coats of Old Fritz." Christopher never lost his boyish imagination and love of his chosen period of history. That is was made him so formidable. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEtAGkjsHVq5kmT0JBu2m7N_W6Uwqc_W6eUzaI18NQQPVqUtuMFO84QEYxj57tv0TwKNfVO8AiHVNE8knefYeaGpV_YbDr4I55DMEGuWle-yC96JTXNE59H-Zil4VeuEUl3_r5EdMcn6tGfmNUhGATb--vP_q40GwwBieT1qLgK8xayrlV4qfsDFV/s2048/7E29FEE4-3CE1-4F61-833A-B8748C0824BB.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEtAGkjsHVq5kmT0JBu2m7N_W6Uwqc_W6eUzaI18NQQPVqUtuMFO84QEYxj57tv0TwKNfVO8AiHVNE8knefYeaGpV_YbDr4I55DMEGuWle-yC96JTXNE59H-Zil4VeuEUl3_r5EdMcn6tGfmNUhGATb--vP_q40GwwBieT1qLgK8xayrlV4qfsDFV/s320/7E29FEE4-3CE1-4F61-833A-B8748C0824BB.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>Being able to edit his <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Changing-Face-Old-Regime-Warfare/dp/1915070384/ref=sr_1_1?crid=HEB08IJXG2EY&keywords=The+Changing+Face+of+Old+Regime+Warfare&qid=1668792754&sprefix=the+changing+face+of+old+regime+warfare%2Caps%2C72&sr=8-1">festschrift</a> was one of the great honors of my life. Please feel free to share your memories of Christopher in the comments below. </p><p>Thanks for Reading,</p><p><br /></p><p>Alex Burns </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-30636182992291074122022-04-13T10:30:00.002-04:002022-04-13T10:43:10.223-04:00Were the Hessians really Mercenaries? <p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2NCRF6fw58A8-DlnRTjAFiXUxAJ0CVJoBY4PoOyAaUYnmEtWMek33syibDyLcm7qS_IOKo-uzxuEg3Xf_S66iy9B_lNzie4rssPTmP_3YEGjykTHVTN9xV8KA-viy76GXmIXPk8otDlV7MOkCN_E9MYNA9U93qvjsUUuzqjanDzGqsdlKzX-zONtb" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2NCRF6fw58A8-DlnRTjAFiXUxAJ0CVJoBY4PoOyAaUYnmEtWMek33syibDyLcm7qS_IOKo-uzxuEg3Xf_S66iy9B_lNzie4rssPTmP_3YEGjykTHVTN9xV8KA-viy76GXmIXPk8otDlV7MOkCN_E9MYNA9U93qvjsUUuzqjanDzGqsdlKzX-zONtb=w267-h400" width="267" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><p>Dear Reader, </p>There are many myths regarding the revolutionary war, but none seem as hard to eradicate as the idea that the "Hessians" were "mercenaries". Today's post isn't for the fully initiated: if you are familiar with the story of the German <i>Subsidientruppen</i> in the American War of Independence, there might be some new material for you. By and large, however, this post is aimed at those who are unfamiliar with the story of these German-speaking soldiers, and why they made the decision to travel to America. <br /><p></p><p>For those of you who don't know me, I'm an academic historian writing on transnational military culture in the Atlantic World in the Eighteenth Century. I wrote my masters thesis on these troops, and then completed my doctoral work, in part, on the related (but not interchangeable) Prussian army. I've published several articles on these German-speaking armies, and am working on more (and a book.) Dr. Friederike Baer's forthcoming book (published later this month) is set to become the new standard text on these soldiers. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hessians-German-Soldiers-American-Revolutionary-dp-0190249633/dp/0190249633/ref=mt_other?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1649858256">You can pre-order it here. </a> </p><p>In my ten years of academic work, from the time I entered my MA program to my work as lecturer now, I have heard many wrong-headed ideas about these troops. Here are a few: <b>These troops should be called Hessians. They were mercenaries. They were sold to America because their princes were greedy and wanted to build palaces and pay for their illegitimate children. They were drunk on Christmas, and so George Washington beat them. They committed many brutal war-crimes in America. Many of them deserted to stay in America, where life was better. </b></p><p><b>All of these ideas are wrong. </b>Or, if they have a grain of truth to them, that grain has been badly distorted. So, without further introduction, let's examine these myths in turn. </p><p><b>Myth 1): These troops were Hessians. </b></p><p>Although most came from the mid-sized state of Hessen-Kassel, troops from six different principalities (Hessen-Kassel, Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, Hessen-Hanau, Ansbach-Bayreuth, Waldeck, and Anhalt-Zerbst.) If you include the larger, global war outside America, fought in places like Gibraltar and India, troops from the state of Hanover (Braunschweig-Lüneburg) also fought for the British outside of the Holy Roman Empire (the pre-German territorial entity.) So, while over 60% of these troops came from Hessen, they really hailed from all over the western and central Holy Roman Empire. <b>As a result, it might be better to call them something other than Hessians.</b> "Germanic" has been put forward, but that usually conjures up images of the fall of the Western Roman Empire. What else might we call them? Read on. </p><p><b>Myth 2): They were mercenaries. </b></p><p>Imagine you are a soldier in the United States Army, serving in West Germany during the Cold War. You are stationed there because of longstanding agreements and alliances, which stretch back decades. The United States Government and the West German government have a financial understanding that helps maintain your presence in the region. Are you a mercenary? The situation was very similar for the German-speaking soldiers who fought in the American War of Independence, They had a longstanding relationship with Great Britain, stretching back decades. They had fought with alongside the British since the 1690s, both in continental Europe and in the British isles. As a result of the Hanoverian succession in 1714 (the British Royal family was drawn from Hanover) they had longstanding marriage connections with Great Britain. Horace Walpole, a British politician from the 1730s, referred to the Hessians as the Triarii of Great Britain. </p><p><b>These soldiers did not personally or corporately take on contracts from the British.</b> they were members of state militaries: their governments were paid a subsidy by the British in order to fight in their wars. Frederick II (the Great) of Prussia, received subsidies from the British during the Seven Years War. As a result, the modern German term for these troops is <i>Subsidientruppen, </i>or subsidy troops. <b>Thus, it might be better to speak of the German-speaking subsidy troops, as opposed to calling them Hessians, or mercenaries. </b>Historians have argued that it might be fitting to call their countries "mercenary states". This is different from saying they were mercenaries. </p><p><b>Myth 3): They were sold to America because their princes were greedy and wanted to build palaces and pay for their illegitimate children. </b></p><p>The princes of the Western Holy Roman Empire lived in an incredibly dangerous world during the eighteenth century. Their territories were small, rural, principalities, trapped between the military giants of France, Austria, and Prussia. As a result, from the 1670s, these princes attempted to use subsidy contracts to build themselves larger armies, in order to preserve their independence. These subsidy contracts were a standard feature of European politics, diplomacy, and conflict resolution. They allowed the princes to better protect their small domains. None of the princes who formed subsidy contracts with Britain during the American War of Independence were doing something radically new or greedy. Instead, they were following on decades of practice which had allowed them to maintain their own independence. The Hessian (Hessen-Kassel) Landgraf Friedrich II actually used the funds from the contract, in part, to promote economic development and the textile industry in his territories. <b>Some of them had illegitimate children. Some had palaces. Portraying them as sex-crazed misers limits our understanding of the economic and security necessities which actually underpinned their subsidy policies. </b>Following the long-standing practices of their governments, princes in the Western Holy Roman Empire entered subsidy agreements to maintain the costs of their states. </p><p><b>Myth 4): They committed many brutal war-crimes in America. </b></p><p>The subsidy troops had been used in messy civil conflicts before. Hessian troops were used against the Jacobites in 1745-6, where they remarkably refused to take part in the repression against the Scottish Jacobites. Their troops were remembered in Perthshire, Scotland, as "a gentle race," and their commanding Prince (Friedrich II) declared, "My Hessians and I have been called to fight the enemies of the British crown, but never will we consent to hang or torture in its name." (Duffy, <i>Best of Enemies, </i>p. 133). English officers in the Seven Years War, noted that their troops were reprimanded for plundering more than Hessian forces. (Atwood, <i>The Hessians, </i>p. 173). In North America during the War of Independence, the Hessians once again behaved better than their British counterparts. Although their was a surge of fear about Hessian brutality early in the war, after the first few years of the war, Americans believed that the Hessians treated them better than British soldiers. Aaron Burr wrote of Hessian atrocities: "Various have been the reports concerning the barbarities committed by the Hessians, most of them [are] incredible and false." (Matthew Davis, <i>Memoirs of Aaron Burr, </i>Vol 1. p. 107). Comparing the brutality of the Napoleonic Wars with the American War of Independence, a Hessian veteran who served in both wars commented: "Everything which the author has subsequently seen in this regard greatly exceeds what one should term cruelty in America, which in comparison with more recent times, can be regarded as nothing more than a harmless puppet show." (Adam Ludwig von Ochs, <i>Betrachtungen Ueber die Kriegkunst, </i>60-61.) <b>Hessian troops committed crimes in America, there is no doubt. What is clear is that these crimes were not excessive for an eighteenth-century conflict. </b></p><p><b>Myth 5): Many of them deserted to America, where life was better. </b></p><p>Many Americans claim Hessian ancestry. As a result, it is common to encounter the sentiment that these "mercenary" troops were simply waiting to switch sides. In reality, most of these troops returned to their homelands in the Holy Roman Empire. A very small number switched sides before the end of the war, a larger (but still small) percentage elected to remain in America after the war ended in 1783. Far from being an act of rebellion, the princes encouraged their subsidy troops to remain in America if they desire: this would cut costs, and make the process of slashing the military budget easier in peacetime. Most returned to celebrations, public parades, and being welcomed by loved ones. For more on exact data of desertions, as well as the subsidy-troops' return home, see Daniel Krebs' book, <i>A Generous and Merciful Enemy. </i><b>The majority of these troops remained loyal to their princes, and returned home to their own native lands. </b></p><p><b>Who Were the Hessians? </b></p><p>The experience of 37,000 soldiers mainly drawn from six small counties is not all one thing. There are elements of truth to each of the myths about the Hessians, but their story is more complex than the myths that are told about them in English-speaking circles in North America. They were drawn from a fascinating world in Central Europe with its own customs, practices, and traditions. They entered the American story, and as a result, it is worth taking the time to understand and remember their path in it in a complex way. </p><p>If you enjoyed this post, or any of our other posts, please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kabinettskriege/">liking us on facebook</a>, or <a href="https://twitter.com/KKriegeBlog">following us on twitter</a>. <a href="https://www.patreon.com/Kabinettskriege">Consider checking out our exclusive content on Patreon.</a> Finally, we are dedicated to keeping Kabinettskriege ad-free. In order to assist with this, please consider supporting us via the donate button in the upper right-hand corner of the page. As always:</p><div class="MsoNormal"><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for Reading, </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div>Alex Burns</div></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-52538013512119456532022-01-31T12:47:00.004-05:002022-01-31T15:19:51.820-05:00Spain and American Independence: How Important Was Spain's Contribution? <p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEin0DSU5RZxGIhHiD5CiCJ1WCEwXif54I4kS0IeUv7-M2F3c1xLOdCZd4VLNSqd7rNi-gqqIQHHfzQfoTGKhMLxsQ7yGLulbwowYqFTkHpdeMXfcHmGsypi3QOOnECl1ARUt6oTvlCjsURe5SscqFzRRuRj6hGgsQ-3Jzfdsaj9T3sbN-1nPp-r3upS=s1107" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="803" data-original-width="1107" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEin0DSU5RZxGIhHiD5CiCJ1WCEwXif54I4kS0IeUv7-M2F3c1xLOdCZd4VLNSqd7rNi-gqqIQHHfzQfoTGKhMLxsQ7yGLulbwowYqFTkHpdeMXfcHmGsypi3QOOnECl1ARUt6oTvlCjsURe5SscqFzRRuRj6hGgsQ-3Jzfdsaj9T3sbN-1nPp-r3upS=w400-h290" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><p></p><p>Dear Readers,</p><p>Spain's role in the American War of Independence is currently one of the most active, loud and heated discussions in the online revolutionary war community. To a large degree, this is because the narrative regarding these claims has shifted drastically since 2002, when Thomas Chávez asserted that, "the role of Spain has not been genuinely recognized."[1] Paired with Chávez's own excellent book on the subject, which all students of the American Revolution should own, other books, such as Gonzalo M. Quintero Saravia's biography of Bernardo de Gálvez, have corrected this flawed understanding. In 2014, <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-joint-resolution/105/text">Congress awarded</a> Gálvez with Honorary U.S. Citzenship, an award which has only been granted to seven other individuals in United States History. If Gálvez is in an elite group with Winston Churchill and Mother Teresa in American memory, we cannot claim that he has been fully forgotten. </p><p>Instead, in heated online salvos, the debate has transformed into another question altogether. Rather than asserting that the ungrateful gringos have forgotten Spanish assistance (which was broad, varied, and important), the debate has become whether or not Spain was the sole decisive military force in the American War of Independence, overshadowing Washington, France (obviously the Dutch) and anyone else audacious enough to come to the front of the line. Much like William Pitt's famous formulation of "winning America in Germany" during the French and Indian War, the debate now seems to rage on whether Spain achieved American Independence primarily by fighting in the Caribbean, Gulf Coast, and Gibraltar. Likewise, the debate has transformed into whether or not Bernardo de Gálvez was supreme commander of French, Spanish, and American forces in North America. Spain also seems to have been promoted to the senior Bourbon partner in the Franco-Spanish alliance of 1779 at the Treaty of Aranjuez. The evidence supporting each of these claims comes from overly generous interpretations of strongly-stated scholarly argument. As a historian specializing in eighteenth-century military history, I will attempt to give my views on this debate. </p><p><b>Was Spain the Sole Decisive Military Force in the American War of Independence? </b></p><p>No. The Spanish forces played a vital role after 1779. Although never supporting the Continental Army with combat troops in the thirteen colonies, Spain vitally aided American troops with supplies, money, and weapons. American, French, Spanish, and Dutch military forces conducted a global war, where they jointly defeated British forces. Like their French, Dutch, and American allies, the Spanish military had its share of successes and defeats in this wider conflict. </p><p><b>Did Spain Win American Independence in the Caribbean, Gulf Coast, and Gibraltar? </b></p><p>There is no doubt that Spain's decision to enter the war further subdivided British military resources, which were already strained by French involvement. France joined the colonists in June of 1778, the Spanish, concerned over a number of issues, delayed their involvement until 1779. Spain focused their resources on the Caribbean, Gulf Coast, and Gibraltar as a result of their lack of recognition of the rebellious colonists. As a powerful empire with global colonies, the Spanish government was more wary of a breakaway colonial movement than their French counterparts, whose colonial holdings had been largely taken in the Seven Years War. The addition of Spain's powerful fleet was vital, as was the widening of the war. The French, in the words of Saravia, were taken "hostage to Spain's war aims."[2] </p><p>This hostage taking had the effect of drawing out the war beyond when it would have naturally ended in America. Although Britain was ready to make peace in North America after Yorktown, and France was ready to negotiate after the disastrous Battle of the Saintes in April 1782, the Spanish held out hope that Gibraltar would fall, until the failure of the great assault on September 13th, 1782. This confirmed for the Spanish that Gibraltar would not fall, and all sides then prepared for negotiation. [3] As a result, although the Spanish deserve credit for dividing British resources, American Independence was achieved regardless of the outcome of the siege of Gibraltar. Naval resources were more important, and Spain did prove effective in this regard. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIr-bpwuBtjJx5ZulGdqqUGkdQDRGaqfDKjO4T8x9sjBvBdKs7ZvGFeHCBMMdKnJB61WrAAHO62ttNpAhtVbFKwCY3cgE44Osfl3VzoiJ7TEY4N0r-r0KHAQVJouNJmHzTtEw_vaBDH04qdfeO9BEUWmnKsiVQwb_s2zFGuGUC7v6e4UA2ap3B-lj6" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="585" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIr-bpwuBtjJx5ZulGdqqUGkdQDRGaqfDKjO4T8x9sjBvBdKs7ZvGFeHCBMMdKnJB61WrAAHO62ttNpAhtVbFKwCY3cgE44Osfl3VzoiJ7TEY4N0r-r0KHAQVJouNJmHzTtEw_vaBDH04qdfeO9BEUWmnKsiVQwb_s2zFGuGUC7v6e4UA2ap3B-lj6=w293-h400" width="293" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><b>Was Gálvez Supreme Commander of Forces in North America?</b></p><p>As a result of negotiations, Gálvez was had directional authority over French and Spanish forces. In practice, he had limitations. Gálvez also possessed authority over the continuing wars with the Comanche and Tupac Amuru's rebellion in Peru, but exerted little authority over these theatres. Attempting to make Spain seem more relevant to the victory at Yorktown, Thomas Chávez asserts that Bernardo de Gálvez gave Admiral de Grasse permission to sail north assist the American-French ground forces at Yorktown. In reality, this was a joint decision made de Grasse and his Spanish counterpart, Saavedra de Sangronis, made the decision together, and de Grasse departed. The Spanish were hesitant to allow their own ships to accompany de Grasse to Yorktown, as they had not formally recognized American Independence. As a result, de Grasse sailed with only the French portions of the fleet.[4] Gálvez arrived later, and retroactively approved the decision.[5] </p><p>This fallacy comes from a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of authority in eighteenth-century armies. Commanders frequently reported to officers or even councils of officers far from their commands. However, in a world before instant communications, commanders were responsible for the troops under their direct care. This was even more true in allied command structures. In the European Seven Years War, commanders treated the needs of their allies in-theatre as secondary to their own decision-making and the goals of their government. Frederick II was able to convince a Russian allied commander to stay alongside him for a couple of days through extreme measures such as personal bribery.[6] Regardless of their rank and authority, the idea of a supreme allied commander was simply not binding in eighteenth-century allied military command structures. Gálvez was an important figure who skillfully managed hemispheric eighteenth-century wars. His authority had limitations imposed by the dictates of his culture and century. </p><p><b>Final Thoughts: </b></p><p>It is difficult to rank "credit" for the outcome of a conflict. Was the Chinese and Soviet aid to Vietnam more important than the lives of North Vietnamese soldiers in fighting the United States? These questions are subjective. In the end, Spain must be equated with France in terms of impact on the outcome of the war. Very few professional historians would disagree with this assessment. What is strange, or even idiotic, is to suggest that Spain fought and defeated Britain as the sole power in the war of 1779-1783. This should not be difficult to understand. America did not defeat Imperial or Nazi Germany without outside help, but its impact was vital to the success of an allied war effort. This is the same type of serious consideration Spain's efforts should receive in the wider war between 1775 and 1783. Spain fought a skillful war between 1779-1783, not free the United States (which they did not recognize as an independent power until 1783) but to regain honor after 1762 and restore important territories to the Spanish crown. </p><div><div style="margin: 0px;">If you enjoyed this post, or any of our other posts, please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kabinettskriege/">liking us on facebook</a>, or <a href="https://twitter.com/KKriegeBlog">following us on twitter</a>. <a href="https://www.patreon.com/Kabinettskriege">Consider checking out our exclusive content on Patreon.</a> Finally, we are dedicated to keeping Kabinettskriege ad-free. In order to assist with this, please consider supporting us via the donate button in the upper right-hand corner of the page. As always:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for Reading, </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div>Alex Burns</div></div></div><div><br /></div><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><br /></p><p>[1] Thomas Chávez, <i>Spain and the Independence of the United States, </i>(Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2002) 213. </p><p>[2]Gonzalo M. Quintero Saravia, <i>Bernardo de Gálvez: Spanish Hero of the American Revolution, </i>(Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2018) 146. </p><p>[3] David Allison and Larrie D. Ferrerio, <i>The American Revolution: A World War, </i>(Washington: Smithsonian Books, 2018), 220; Lawrence Kaplan, "The Treaty of Paris, 1783: A Historiographical Challenge" <i>International History Review, </i>Vol. 5 No. 3 (1983) 431-442. </p><p>[4] Chávez, <i>Spain and the Independence of the United States, </i>201. </p><p>[5] Chávez, <i>Spain and the Independence of the United States, </i>203. </p><p>[6] Christopher Duffy, <i>Frederick the Great: A Military Life, </i>(New York: Routledge, 1986), 236. </p>Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-11992383073203817532021-08-12T13:59:00.005-04:002021-08-12T14:23:22.769-04:00Frederick the Great and Washington: Truths, Myths, and Propaganda <p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZv1Dh6JUEqDO82GwPmjl8m2Fv202Jsf7r5Cna4rjNXt2_0Q3Xpu3ROmdrYNsdC5L_D8mSFVnHElvedJov1eCie5KbhPnfIUIDMccpb4iMvWtyXRBa3D8T3H8r62L2JAVkiMnR1yrqws/s1989/Frederick+and+Washington.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1169" data-original-width="1989" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZv1Dh6JUEqDO82GwPmjl8m2Fv202Jsf7r5Cna4rjNXt2_0Q3Xpu3ROmdrYNsdC5L_D8mSFVnHElvedJov1eCie5KbhPnfIUIDMccpb4iMvWtyXRBa3D8T3H8r62L2JAVkiMnR1yrqws/w400-h235/Frederick+and+Washington.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Dear Readers,</p><p><br /></p><p>Yesterday, a popular facebook page which commemorates the Revolutionary War in the United States shared an anecdote regarding George Washington and Frederick the Great. Quoting Frank Moore's 1860 publication, <i>Diary of the American Revolution from Newspapers, </i>volume 2, the post related how Frederick II of Prussia presented George Washington with a picture of himself, inscribed, "From the oldest General in Europe, to the greatest general on earth."[1] The anecdote continues at some length, with another Prussian general questioning Frederick's assessment, and Frederick giving a full explanation of why Washington was the greatest general on earth. The source of this anecdote is the August 9th, 1780 issue of the <i>New Jersey Journal. </i> </p><p>The trouble is, this anecdote is not true. It never occurred. There are variations of it, sometimes a sword is the present, sometimes it is a portrait. And the worrying part is, historians have known it wasn't true for over one hundred and twenty years. Paul Leland Haworth, writing an article entitled <i>Frederick the Great and the American Revolution </i>in the American Historical Review in 1904, noted: </p><blockquote><p>At one time a story was widely current, and it is still believed by many, to the effect that he [Frederick] entertained a great admiration for Washington, and that he even went so far as to send him a sword[.] This is one of those historical myths that have been eagerly accepted by a willing and credulous public, and it has been completed exploded.[] </p></blockquote><p>Haworth cites the work of writer Moncure D. Conway, who, writing in 1891, examines the stories of the sword and/or portrait in detail. Conway corresponded with surviving relatives to see if the portrait survived, and notes that other monarchs did send portraiture to Washington, and the records of those transactions (and the portraits themselves) survive to the present day. Conway also describes the way in which Washington carefully gave the provenance of items in his will, and no gifts from Frederick the Great are described in his will.[3] Likewise, Conway notes that Washington's will carefully preserved a sword from Theophilus Alte of Solingen, and passed the sword onto Washington's nephew, George Steptoe Washington. </p><p>Conway concludes: "We may feel tolerably certain that no gift was ever sent by Frederick the Great to Washington, and that he never recognized in any remark the greatness of Washington."[4] Now, Washington as a figure was certainly known to Frederick. Indeed, in Frederick memoirs, he notes, "General Washington, who was called at London the chief of the rebels, gained, at the commencement of hostilities, some advantages over the royalists who were assembled near Boston."[5] So, while clearly noting the progress of the American War of Independence, Frederick did not sent Washington fan mail. </p><p>If historians have known that this anecdote is false for over one hundred years, why does it get shared 150 times on facebook in the course of a day? This is because like many eighteenth-century anecdotes, true or false, the story of Frederick's portrait/sword is designed to communicate truths to the reader. These truths, that Washington was a inspirational leader who fought from a disadvantageous position, and that he had, "surmounted untold difficulties," were as accurate in 1780 as they remain today.[6] This does not obscure the fact that this newspaper report was a sort of propaganda: in 1780, Frederick II of Prussia was recognized as an authority on warfare. Having him write respectful letters of admiration to Washington would have been an immense public relations victory. As a result, the <i>New Jersey Journal, </i>together with the <i>Providence Gazette, </i>told a story that communicated truths about Washington's skills as a general. </p><p>The May 20th story referenced in the <i>Providence Gazette </i>is relatively brief: it simply provides the inscription. The August 9th <i>New Jersey Journal</i> provides more embellishment, and begins to raise questions in the mind of the reader. How would the author have been privy to the conversation of the King of Prussia and one of his generals regarding Washington's military qualities? These doubts, together with the lack of physical evidence, point to the fact that these stories are myths designed to impart truths, rather than factual occurrences. As a result, they are often more compelling than factual history. Thus, over a hundred years after Frederick's factual statement regarding Washington was disproved, the legend of Frederick's admiration for Washington continues unabated. </p><p>You can read <a href="https://boston1775.blogspot.com/2021/01/what-frederick-great-thought-of.html?m=0">three</a> <a href="https://boston1775.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-myth-of-frederick-iis-fan-letter-to.html?m=0">more</a> <a href="https://boston1775.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-adventures-of-steel-dress-sword.html?m=0">article</a>s on these myths over on the Boston 1775 blog by J.L. Bell. </p><div><div style="margin: 0px;">If you enjoyed this post, or any of our other posts, please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kabinettskriege/">liking us on facebook</a>, or <a href="https://twitter.com/KKriegeBlog">following us on twitter</a>. <a href="https://www.patreon.com/Kabinettskriege">Consider checking out our exclusive content on Patreon.</a> Finally, we are dedicated to keeping Kabinettskriege ad-free. In order to assist with this, please consider supporting us via the donate button in the upper right-hand corner of the page. As always:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for Reading, </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div>Alex Burns</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="text-align: left;">[1] Frank Moore, <i>Diary of the American Revolution: From Newspapers..., </i>Volume 2, (1860), 309-310.</div><div style="text-align: left;">[2] Paul Leland Haworth, "Frederick the Great and the American Revolution", <i>American Historical Review, </i>(1904) Vol. 9 No. 3, 460-478. </div><div style="text-align: left;">[3] Ibid. <br />[4] Moncure D. Conway, <i>The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, </i>Volume 41 (1891) 945-948. <br />[5] Ibid, 947. <br />[6] Frederick, translated by Thomas Holcroft, <i>Posthumous Works of Frederich II: King of Prussia, </i>Volume 4 (1789), 175. </div>Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-64335322133213653792021-07-20T10:00:00.004-04:002021-07-20T10:01:49.039-04:00Column Assaults during the Seven Years War: Myth or Reality? <p> </p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflD7-tbtMb7gp3YN-GGHEmQip_LurfVs2fXiTeUbt1zlQ-m39a8L0ttILE_xljLZTWDEmnt9W6uKZ5_ohdynlmvuSAU_jvqNCMwmvC5onkRqH6vYmgf1gLGwZ5zQHgifbfHc6zb3c3AA/s828/C3C58230-4EC0-4AB4-9BCC-C8DF05D67B66.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="828" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflD7-tbtMb7gp3YN-GGHEmQip_LurfVs2fXiTeUbt1zlQ-m39a8L0ttILE_xljLZTWDEmnt9W6uKZ5_ohdynlmvuSAU_jvqNCMwmvC5onkRqH6vYmgf1gLGwZ5zQHgifbfHc6zb3c3AA/w400-h236/C3C58230-4EC0-4AB4-9BCC-C8DF05D67B66.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Dear Reader,</p><p>Today, I want to discuss the idea of columnar assaults during the Seven Years War. This is a somewhat controversial topic, as it is usually asserted that attacks by columns were not a feature of the Seven Years War period, but only appeared with the advent of Revolutionary/Napoleonic Warfare. There is no question: during this later period, troops used a greater variety of column formations at the battalion, regimental, and division level. However, this post demonstrates that the Austrians <b>did attack in columnar formations</b> during the Seven Years War. These formations were not only "march formations" which took the unit to the battlefield, but used within musket range of the enemy troops. </p><p>This post does not look at the most often cited example of a attack in column during the Seven Years War: the abortive French infantry attack at Rossbach. This is a clearly unintentional use of the column, born out of dire necessity. Likewise, I do not tap into the extensive theoretical debate regarding the use of columns from Folard on. Rather, in this post, I look at battles where the commanders made a conscious decision to engage enemy forces, whether in column or not. At the battles of Moys, Hochkirch, Maxen, and Landeshut, the Austrians used a variety of successive linear and column formations in order to approach and attack the enemy positions.[1] At Adelsbach, the Prussians did the same. In each of these situations, circumstances and the terrain conspired to make attacking in a deep formation the most effective way of combating the enemy. At Moys, Hochkirch, and Maxen, the Austrians attacked on a battalion frontage: what we might call battalion columns, or successive linear waves. At Landeshut, a single Austrian Grenadier battalion attacked in a column of companies. At Adelsbach, the terrain forced the Prussian troops to approach the enemy position in a column. </p><p>At Moys in 1757, Christopher Duffy has clearly demonstrated that the Austrians employed a successive linear attack.[2] The Austrians arrayed their battalions in seven "columns" of three battalions each, separated by 100 yards. Within each "column" the battalions had 200 yard intervals between them. This allowed for flexibility, as the orders explained: "if a first-line battalion suffers heavy losses, or falls into disorder, we will file it off to the left or right, and replace it with the battalion behind."[3] This columnar, or successive linear assault would form a model for the Austrians during the war, as they attacked using columns with a battalion frontage again at Hochkirch and Maxen. </p><p>At Hochkirch, the novel method of approach and attack meant that different officers had immediate tactical control of sectors of the battlefield, thus, some of the attacking "columns" formed into line of battle earlier, while others persisted in a columnar formation.[4] The Austrian veteran Cognazzio asserts that this was altogether too much to ask of the troops, and that his component division within his battalion was a mongrel force of collected men: "Grenadiers, Fusiliers, Hungarians, and Germans... [I] placed them together in rank and file, and brought the line into being."[5] Cognazzio asserts that in the heat of the fight, flexibility was the only thing that allowed for the creation of a "well-closed line."[6] So, at least in some instances, it seems that the columns of Hochkirch were intended to deliver men to the area of action, rather than a formation by which to actually conduct an attack. </p>At Maxen in 1759, the situation is rather different. Here, the depth of the "battalion columns" of the Austrians was significantly increased to twelve battalions. Led to the attack by the grenadiers of the army, two Austrian battalion columns approached the enemy positions. The Austrian official report cites that they were greatly supported by an artillery bombardment, and seeing that: "Such a swift, sustained, and well-placed fire had caused great damage to the enemy lines, and that they were beginning to waver, the assault was allowed to go forward. It happened that the infantry were in battalion columns."[7] The same source continues, asserting that the battalion columns were not formed into a wider battle line until the Prussian position on the heights was broken.[8] <div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwFCwjGv0wwOsE4i6oLej-UaD12ku-Nt163RvZil71eLw1u2xEMT-0oBKQ1bEW6-51xlejzAhBiyfKiX-STKFPSBBVhj0fo04wbH56SVqmN3bda7SBQh1JMiXOZ9GQM3kkKPhcbCsiQ6s/s828/212764917_1169854646828875_3373564396497707863_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="828" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwFCwjGv0wwOsE4i6oLej-UaD12ku-Nt163RvZil71eLw1u2xEMT-0oBKQ1bEW6-51xlejzAhBiyfKiX-STKFPSBBVhj0fo04wbH56SVqmN3bda7SBQh1JMiXOZ9GQM3kkKPhcbCsiQ6s/w400-h278/212764917_1169854646828875_3373564396497707863_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail from, <i>The Attack at Maxen, </i>by Franz Paul Findenigg</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Historians should use visual sources, even those painted closely after events, with extreme care when reconstructing battles. <i>The Attack at Maxen, </i>painted immediately after the battle by Franz Paul Findenigg, displays some features worthy of note. First: Findenigg correctly identifies the first two battalions approaching the Prussians as grenadiers (they have peaked caps, and carry no flags, while the other battalions all carry flags and wear cocked hats). Findenigg also depicts the action of the battery disrupting the Prussians, as well as Austrian battalions in a "succcessive line" or "battalion column" formation, stacked several units deep. The individual battalions of the column seem much closer than the guidelines of the attack at Moys, perhaps supporting Christopher Duffy's assertion that "Austrian column[s] of assault" were formed in a dense closed-up formation.[9] We should not put too much weight on this visual evidence. Thus, while presenting the same issues as other visual sources, Findenigg's painting, at least, seems to support the idea that the Austrians made their initial breakthrough of the Prussian line using this formation. </div><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz3yZwMR0t6o-BusVKEJS_b9XAqFANcF1OZyhj8iKTUll8Mk0fiRVPXgb_-077PEautm32XaY3Ftx-kLbi7YrY7t-zS7wrFaOpzJNuJBSftTTdDrK0M7PrYr09dkRBYub2FHpyHFCADf8/s424/Screenshot+%2528104%2529.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="424" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz3yZwMR0t6o-BusVKEJS_b9XAqFANcF1OZyhj8iKTUll8Mk0fiRVPXgb_-077PEautm32XaY3Ftx-kLbi7YrY7t-zS7wrFaOpzJNuJBSftTTdDrK0M7PrYr09dkRBYub2FHpyHFCADf8/w400-h256/Screenshot+%2528104%2529.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The attack on the Kirchberg at Landeshut, 1760 (circle added)<br />Detail from Jaeger's <i style="text-align: left;">Plans von Zwey un Vierzig Haupt Schlachten</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>At Landeshut in 1760, we find something rather different. Here, two Grenadier battalions led the attack on Prussian fixed positions on the Mummelberg and Buchberg. The grenadier battalion of Major de Vins employed a column of companies for this assault. [10] Having taken these two positions and been returned to order, a larger force of infantry now combined into two "columns" and launched an, "assault of columns" against the Prussian position on the Kirchberg. As opposed to a column of companies, this attack, especially considering the way it is depicted on the map (three lines) was likely a successive linear wave attack as at Moys.[11] </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgcXfpoGtufypIgjeH2FfR1zMOPz0G7SgZats-2880pCia1uqDmzOuAbyM6m7wcsK_8YjOZ2U-HqP6hp38-lrz-1ZsFFlPp1hrq6DwBzSmTiP3-BdkD2jSlg_labwpQDmi-iI5M_qmqg/s876/Screenshot+%2528106%2529.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="876" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgcXfpoGtufypIgjeH2FfR1zMOPz0G7SgZats-2880pCia1uqDmzOuAbyM6m7wcsK_8YjOZ2U-HqP6hp38-lrz-1ZsFFlPp1hrq6DwBzSmTiP3-BdkD2jSlg_labwpQDmi-iI5M_qmqg/w400-h270/Screenshot+%2528106%2529.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Prussian approach at Adelsbach, <br />Raspe, <i style="text-align: left;">Plan von der Affaire ... am 6. July 1762 bey Adelsbach,</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>The Prussian use of columns in the attack at Adelsbach on July 6th 1762 appears to have been largely unintentional. Attempting to get at the Austrian position, the Prussians had to march down a valley, through Ober Adelsbach, over the stream, and back up a valley to the heights where the Austrians were waiting for them. As a result, they were unable to properly form for the attack, and came on in some sort of marching column, likely of open platoons. The Prince de Ligne noted that the Prussians were marching to the attack, "dû défilér," indicating a formation narrower than a line.[12] Upon reaching the height, however they attempted form a more traditional battle line. [13] This is was not, therefore, an intentional attack in a column, but one mandated by the terrain. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Conclusions</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>In the Seven Years War, then you have a variety of columnar attacks. In order to assist with visualization, I have snapped some photos below. These attacks are made with a variety of successive linear or column formations. The first employed, and most clearly described is the attack a "column" of three battalions deployed in line, with significant intervals. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNsz_5sVqiQpXKey1iZEKJRRFkQTw_MTcEvbxDOeYmR8JYXv_Icm8VbNSQ5EPQ6DS_ghv-5s79rXzcZtuqZC2sEZVSAJxowXm4OfjbNpcd-mSfsetOOydYSvJr8WnkShyphenhyphenxRc7ZGf6oLw/s828/211121443_1418079328567062_8058817602169894157_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="828" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNsz_5sVqiQpXKey1iZEKJRRFkQTw_MTcEvbxDOeYmR8JYXv_Icm8VbNSQ5EPQ6DS_ghv-5s79rXzcZtuqZC2sEZVSAJxowXm4OfjbNpcd-mSfsetOOydYSvJr8WnkShyphenhyphenxRc7ZGf6oLw/w400-h300/211121443_1418079328567062_8058817602169894157_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The successive linear attack ,as at Moys </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Second, we have the assault in battalion columns, as happened at Maxen. Intervals are still present, though intentionally or unintentionally, they have been reduced. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbaozfkCEI_CfsdrpeiIz5rDlvxaR0zEwYucZPbREaKzK3uDBuoD_5-2SRW94y9odSQb4Pwycb8X4_QjS94VWF9_wh4WICphnSh8k9Xs2-icVYAuYAJHlVsshKc4CDnGqTSjrUXrMFmgQ/s828/211976718_188369913269455_6334471618508025210_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="828" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbaozfkCEI_CfsdrpeiIz5rDlvxaR0zEwYucZPbREaKzK3uDBuoD_5-2SRW94y9odSQb4Pwycb8X4_QjS94VWF9_wh4WICphnSh8k9Xs2-icVYAuYAJHlVsshKc4CDnGqTSjrUXrMFmgQ/w400-h300/211976718_188369913269455_6334471618508025210_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The column of battalions attack as at Maxen</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Third, we have the single battalion attacking in a column of companies, as at Landeshut. This attack was likely designed to take a fixed position. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihp76GOXlrwV22pK-JifnfuZJWqY_MzRltG0QiDXwDIzhTvHK5Y0msIYrvo3ooxO5V27FULLXridL08lFGMD5GOhjH4ajiYIRKKfvdobmND6xuFxcEZLixRyM5T3QXS1qW49hAExmOqfw/s828/217372827_341965980730837_1271991155154720478_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="828" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihp76GOXlrwV22pK-JifnfuZJWqY_MzRltG0QiDXwDIzhTvHK5Y0msIYrvo3ooxO5V27FULLXridL08lFGMD5GOhjH4ajiYIRKKfvdobmND6xuFxcEZLixRyM5T3QXS1qW49hAExmOqfw/w400-h300/217372827_341965980730837_1271991155154720478_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The column of companies attack as at Landeshut</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Last, and honestly least, we have the bumbling and unintentional attack by marching columns, as occurred at Adelsbach. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNMpyduA32OX_LfJSG-kZ5203-ri6aoAvxD025ej4xI9WVUoFHRaLPN6HbAYb9TwzoN7sC7u6_gB9LuP47jeTWTAlbeJUpx-Yr7zO13yfcXcOqilLYGOJcVpu1KAoITyVmbnWFniU3vE/s828/214582162_1180234635798983_2431342287607758969_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="828" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNMpyduA32OX_LfJSG-kZ5203-ri6aoAvxD025ej4xI9WVUoFHRaLPN6HbAYb9TwzoN7sC7u6_gB9LuP47jeTWTAlbeJUpx-Yr7zO13yfcXcOqilLYGOJcVpu1KAoITyVmbnWFniU3vE/w400-h300/214582162_1180234635798983_2431342287607758969_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Prussian column of march by platoons, opened. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><b>Thus, during the Seven Years War, the Austrian army did attack in a columnar formation</b>. <b>These attacks were less varied, less coordinated, and more ad-hoc than later Revolutionary and Napoleonic attacks in column. </b>Despite this, the evidence is clear: the Austrians did indeed innovate with alternative linear and columnar attacks during the Seven Years War, not just in theory, but actually on the battlefield. This may have been unintentional: a feature of the novel Austrian grand tactics of the time. Innovation is sometimes unintentional. By the time the Seven Years War had ended, the Austrians had attacked in successive linear waves, columns of battalions, and a battalion column of companies. <br /><div><br /><div><div style="margin: 0px;">If you enjoyed this post, or any of our other posts, please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kabinettskriege/">liking us on facebook</a>, or <a href="https://twitter.com/KKriegeBlog">following us on twitter</a>. <a href="https://www.patreon.com/Kabinettskriege">Consider checking out our exclusive content on Patreon.</a> Finally, we are dedicated to keeping Kabinettskriege ad-free. In order to assist with this, please consider supporting us via the donate button in the upper right-hand corner of the page. As always:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for Reading, </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div>Alex Burns</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div><div style="text-align: left;">[1] In using the language of a "successive linear" attack, I have followed the convention of Paddy Griffith, <i>Battle Tactics of the Civil War, </i>151-152. </div><div style="text-align: left;">[2] Duffy, <i>Prussia's Glory, </i>97. <br />[3] Quoted in <i>Prussia's Glory</i>, 97. <br />[4] Duffy, <i>By Force of Arms, </i>129-143.<br />[5] Jakob Cognazzio, <i>Geständnisse eines Oesterreichischen Veterans</i>, (1790) Volume 3, 47. <br />[6] Ibid, 48. <br />[7] J. G. Tielcke, <i>Beytraege zur kriegs-kunst und Geschichte des Krieges, </i>(1775) Volume 1, 30. <br />[8] Ibid, 31. <br />[9] Duffy, <i>Instrument of War, </i>405. <br />[10] Duffy, <i>By Force of Arms, </i>233. <br />[11] Johann Christian Jaeger, <i>Plans von Zwey un Vierzig Haupt Schlachten, Treffen, und Belagerungen, </i>(1790) <i> </i>124-125. <br />[12] Prince de Ligne, <i>Melanges militaires, litteraires, et sentimentaires, </i>(1796) Volume 16, 124.<br />[13]Gabriel Nicolaus Raspe, <i>Plan von der Affaire ... am 6. July 1762 bey Adelsbach, </i>legend entry <i>E. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;">. </div><p><br /></p></div></div></div>Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-65256460781260908152021-07-17T16:48:00.000-04:002021-07-17T16:48:58.387-04:00Statue Removal and Frederick the Great: A Story of Three Statues <p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3gB2lwEdAGr0bVa-s3-cJHD5Qmvl9gt3YG8oAKmu0YlefPxaq_4PglFqB55G937CUhDyhJ8x65StjLFetoDu1gBxyg7JzDRlJfsZZISDpXY_YD4U9xDQvvYi6HGrvRv4c6ue_IhvO_No/s787/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-W1127-030%252C_Berlin%252C_Denkmal_Friedrich_II..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="787" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3gB2lwEdAGr0bVa-s3-cJHD5Qmvl9gt3YG8oAKmu0YlefPxaq_4PglFqB55G937CUhDyhJ8x65StjLFetoDu1gBxyg7JzDRlJfsZZISDpXY_YD4U9xDQvvYi6HGrvRv4c6ue_IhvO_No/w400-h256/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-W1127-030%252C_Berlin%252C_Denkmal_Friedrich_II..jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <i>Unter den Linden </i>statue being replaced, 1980<br />Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-W1127-030</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>The post looks at statue/commemoration removal, an idea that dates back to at least the Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt, and likely before. Over the past few years, citizens of the United States have confronted the issue of the removal of statues of historic figures from prominent places in public life. In the United States today, opinions towards statue removal are often split along party lines, exacerbating the tension of an already charged issue. I will attempt to tread carefully, and my point is certainly not to advocate for the removal or maintenance of statues. Rather, I hope to provide some comparisons that will allow for reflection regarding statue removal debates as a whole. King Frederick II of Prussia, a figure that few Americans could pick out of a lineup, also has a contentious legacy of statue removal, destruction, and replacement. </p><p>Without becoming enmeshed in the politics of the debate in the United States, I seek to examine the story of three statues of Frederick, their removal, and fate (to the present). In doing so, I hope to demonstrate a few things:<b> First, statue removal and replacement is a struggle that is located in specific, often politically charged, moments in time. Second, when statues are removed, destroyed, or replaced, the decision is not always final. Debates over historical commemoration of specific individuals will continue, regardless of statuary. Finally, knowledge of historical figures, and even debates over their merits, are rarely impacted in the long-term by the removal and destruction of statues. </b>I've been to see all of these statues in person, and that is part of how I know their stories. Two of them are in Germany, one is in the United States. All have been removed, one was destroyed, and two have been replaced. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4NU5xPEyOnbPsbvh2XfhHCMrSfeXcSdiP0CSBAz9MHX-sE3RXxdIy0uc6v7RsGmwKsEBWfBM6tmyXHONHd6YlWyLgJ80IZwVWcwHJCrntWiltKJXFMVxO4feXRqp7RFOOrQfya9OCjrc/s2048/Kloster+Zinna+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4NU5xPEyOnbPsbvh2XfhHCMrSfeXcSdiP0CSBAz9MHX-sE3RXxdIy0uc6v7RsGmwKsEBWfBM6tmyXHONHd6YlWyLgJ80IZwVWcwHJCrntWiltKJXFMVxO4feXRqp7RFOOrQfya9OCjrc/w400-h300/Kloster+Zinna+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><b>The Kloster Zinna Frederick</b></p><p>The drive between Dresden and Berlin can take many different routes, such as Autobahn
13, part of Germany’s famous interstate highway system. If you stick to the path less traveled,
however, you might find yourself driving down small rural route 101, a two-lane highway
broken up by turns and stoplights. On this scenic drive, which could easily be mistaken by
Americans for the rural Midwest, you will pass by small industrial city of Jüteborg, a “city of the
reformation,” as the town slogans remind you. Just north of Jüteborg, an hour away from Berlin Mitte, sits the small village of Kloster Zinna. Originally an abbey in the medieval era, the
Prussian King Frederick II founded a small community of weavers on this site in the year 1764.
The memory of Frederick, the father of the city, is all over Kloster Zinna. Walking through the
central square and park, you see the local eatery, “Curry-Fritz,” an amalgamation of the King’s
nickname “Alte Fritz” and the popular twenty-first century dish “Currywurst”: a spicy sausage
plate. The centerpiece of Frederick’s historical memory in Kloster Zinna, however, is the
<i>Denkmal</i>, or commemorative statute, which stands proudly next to rural route 101, reminding all
the visitors to Kloster Zinna that this was a city founded by Frederick the Great.</p><p>I have had the great good fortune to stop by Kloster Zinna twice in the course of my
dissertation research. During my first visit, in 2018, I had never heard of the place before, and it
was only the statute of Frederick which caused me to pull my micro-sized rental car to the side of
the road for a closer look. The second time in the summer of 2019, I returned with a bit more
reverence, and snapped a selfie with the Kloster Zinna <i>Denkmal</i>. Secondary research and
discussions with the gruff but friendly townspeople of Kloster Zinna revealed that much like the memory of Frederick across all of Germany, the Kloster Zinna <i>Denkmal</i>, too, had a turbulent and
contested meaning. Like so many monuments, the statute of Frederick was built on an
anniversary, in 1864 during the centennial of the founding of the city. The <i>Denkmal</i> became a
site of congregation for local school events. During the twentieth century, with the image of Fritz
used so widely in the National Socialist era, the <i>Denkmal </i>became a symbol of the Nazi legacy in
Germany. With the fall of the Nazi Regime in 1945, the legacy and memory of Frederick the Great took a radically different turn. As denazification proceeded in both East and West Germany, the memory of Frederick was tarnished by its association with the Nazi Regime. The former eastern lands of the German state (East Prussia, Pomerania, and Silesia) were given over to new Polish and Soviet leaders. On February 25, 1947, Prussia which had existed as a state in the German federal system, was now replaced with Brandenburg and the very name of Prussia was erased from the maps of Europe. After the Second World War, a communist youth organization was set up nearby, and
during a village outing which took most people out of Kloster Zinna, a group of communist party
youth destroyed the statute with sledgehammers. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDB63zZCiJBBiPLCflDVKek9GQyykQmuE4Zdx9NznJORATkiVi1q5rMKwiPm9XX3KIE3sz9PybjJej8PTRecnkXmFZQ3myozS-5y5kSl-KMBGvqZ8c9N1KMRgg9L1N-PQb2x0BsX7YcVA/s1024/27776599085_af79c5d552_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="785" data-original-width="1024" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDB63zZCiJBBiPLCflDVKek9GQyykQmuE4Zdx9NznJORATkiVi1q5rMKwiPm9XX3KIE3sz9PybjJej8PTRecnkXmFZQ3myozS-5y5kSl-KMBGvqZ8c9N1KMRgg9L1N-PQb2x0BsX7YcVA/w400-h306/27776599085_af79c5d552_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The blindfolded statue in 2016. </td></tr></tbody></table><p>The memory of Frederick, however, endured.
On the 8th of April, 1994, a group of citizens who had collected the pieces of the old, smashed
<i>Denkmal</i>, fused them into a new monument, with an inscription proudly stating: “Frederick the
Great: Founder of the City in the year 1764. This thanksgiving monument erected in 1864.” A
plaque on the reverse side of the monument reads: “This monument was destroyed in 1949. It
was renewed on April 8th 1994 thanks to the funds from the citizens and friends of the city.” The contested nature of the statue has continued since that time: when I visited in 2019, there was graffiti, and in 2016, the stature, and many other statues across Germany, were blindfolded in order to demonstrate their historical figure's blindness to the problems of hostility to Jewish communities. The
Kloster Zinna monument, a local story, demonstrates the ways that Germans have engaged with
and contested the memory of Frederick the Great.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49wlz-77Rd4oJZA5cs0jiDOqP9uyaltV6P_2pKfRDnEkM09Kc21s7WzKcQdWQc5JmAij_6GMJkbZ5dbpZcs23NvLQ0IsIZWlMbw-mYI5ZT9Nl-jyva-lWiNNpw8WZQH-r0Jw0Q9LEfS8/s768/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="597" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49wlz-77Rd4oJZA5cs0jiDOqP9uyaltV6P_2pKfRDnEkM09Kc21s7WzKcQdWQc5JmAij_6GMJkbZ5dbpZcs23NvLQ0IsIZWlMbw-mYI5ZT9Nl-jyva-lWiNNpw8WZQH-r0Jw0Q9LEfS8/w311-h400/image.jpg" width="311" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Washington D.C. statue in its original location</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>The Washington D.C./Carlisle Frederick </b></p><p>In 1904, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany presented a statue of Frederick II to the United States as a symbol of goodwill. That stature was originally placed on a military base in southern Washington D.C., Fort McNair. It remained in that location between 1904 and 1918. Almost immediately, there was trouble. In January of 1905, Gessler Rousseau, attempted to destroy the statue with an "infernal machine" (bomb). <i>The Saint Louis Republic</i> reported on January 16th that Rousseau was a "patriotic fanatic" with a history of bombing attempts. </p><p>During a surge in anti-German hostility during the First World War, there were calls to remove and destroy the statue. Ralph Block, for the <i>New York Tribune, </i>reported on February 9th, 1918: </p><blockquote><p>The deadly statue of Frederick the Great, the statue of the man who was termed by Dr. R. M. McElroy of Princeton university, "the head devil of the whole Prussian philosophy," still lurks in front of the War college. Doctor McElroy announced at a luncheon in New York he was gong to start of movement to tear down Frederick and turn him into bullets. But Washington so far has manifested an alarming apathy to the patriotic project.</p></blockquote><p>On August 25th of the same year, the <i>Richmond Times-Dispatch </i>reported that statue had been melted down, but this was premature. Many newspapers, including the <i>The Herald, </i>out of New Orleans, ran this cartoon accompanying the story. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyJFD1aBr5ppw7VrJlYdAGj6slQtzcs1IbHoVk8NCrf8TeSfQzglAYPxOD1xqhzF7KjLfSGUOlLYAqNIcNXTXvp2wsHYg51ygiQWRxnvadAv8U7vxfbf43CG7wZg3HbgHQbL-zaiECZI/s256/Statue+Cartoon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyJFD1aBr5ppw7VrJlYdAGj6slQtzcs1IbHoVk8NCrf8TeSfQzglAYPxOD1xqhzF7KjLfSGUOlLYAqNIcNXTXvp2wsHYg51ygiQWRxnvadAv8U7vxfbf43CG7wZg3HbgHQbL-zaiECZI/s0/Statue+Cartoon.png" /></a></div>The statue was removed to a cellar after popular demand grew for removal. In 1927, Dwight F. Davis, the secretary of war, returned the statue to its original location, asserting, "Frederick lived many years before the World War and was not identified in any way with that conflict."[1] Concerns about the statue returned again during the Second World War, and it was removed again. <div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcdWhRmSjasslSxliictZ50nFyEdUu-r1bfro8ZBt9HNJi-WSLbZT74OUoRy-hYyI66K9k3rge7feohf8jBI_3FZiXjHtdb6pHT_2iHqg3VkbdxAJiGBDPIUhxzFIm8ua7hjLaIuvT8h4/s2048/IMG_3587.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcdWhRmSjasslSxliictZ50nFyEdUu-r1bfro8ZBt9HNJi-WSLbZT74OUoRy-hYyI66K9k3rge7feohf8jBI_3FZiXjHtdb6pHT_2iHqg3VkbdxAJiGBDPIUhxzFIm8ua7hjLaIuvT8h4/w300-h400/IMG_3587.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Carlisle Frederick in 2018</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>With the end of the war, desiring to move Frederick to a "relatively inconspicuous site," he was moved from Washington to Army War College at Carlisle, Pennsylvania.[2] The statue remains at Carlisle to the present day, and civilians can indeed gain entrance to the base in order to visit the statue (as of 2018). <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYc93gF_nVIFXEMbHjIceCKSkClqFM7_5uH-eP1MHTBDAXZVDXOz6KwUoUVmtBhYctekxKGaB297ZeetZwKawptNgT_-bf1AT1Ks-fxCKVQ73i7mwwaK9UQ9TRwYLMNscJ9do3xvEegqw/s2048/IMG_9087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYc93gF_nVIFXEMbHjIceCKSkClqFM7_5uH-eP1MHTBDAXZVDXOz6KwUoUVmtBhYctekxKGaB297ZeetZwKawptNgT_-bf1AT1Ks-fxCKVQ73i7mwwaK9UQ9TRwYLMNscJ9do3xvEegqw/w400-h300/IMG_9087.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Unter den Linden </i> Frederick, 2018</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><b>The<i> Unter den Linden</i> Frederick</b></div><div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>In 1851, perhaps the most famous statue of Frederick, sculpted by Christian Daniel Rauch, was unveiled and displayed on the Berlin boulevard <i>Unter den Linden. </i>It remained their in relatively the same way until the Second World War, when it was encased in cement for preservation from allied bombing. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdoud_ujU7rcxGymUQ5Cxsn4QYBE1EZiCfZdfPoF89tYr0BvxxrC-0jrFMzG2hEXamNyCt-EXGaE45iMtYIqvmbu4y5JRtUUL4-wONPxUucn3-IRwpnfB-KCbzQ0T_-E6J9-B1ME_IhAw/s1308/800px-1-N-1_-_Abbruch_Mauer_%25280BL%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1308" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdoud_ujU7rcxGymUQ5Cxsn4QYBE1EZiCfZdfPoF89tYr0BvxxrC-0jrFMzG2hEXamNyCt-EXGaE45iMtYIqvmbu4y5JRtUUL4-wONPxUucn3-IRwpnfB-KCbzQ0T_-E6J9-B1ME_IhAw/w245-h400/800px-1-N-1_-_Abbruch_Mauer_%25280BL%2529.jpg" width="245" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frederick being removed from carbonite, 1950</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>As we have already seen above at Kloster Zinna, statues of Frederick were torn down and demolished in Soviet-controlled East Germany. The <i>Unter den Linden </i>statue was removed by the East German government, and nearly melted down. Prussia, and by extension, Frederick, were blamed for the disaster at the end of the war, or leading to militarism and the rise of National Socialism, and a host of other problems. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rEscIH-JLqoZY_hcYe98yi95In6cvIV56HiNgMIFMOokKUj0UsRPYsvUKmcmGJnXjyzG0ZxJFBHHxoxNXj6H2UHG_v2Tj37qy6ZYmXR06vM69Dpxj316iPjS49_qGfwdSjfszW09pIU/s1203/Statue+Transport.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="1203" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rEscIH-JLqoZY_hcYe98yi95In6cvIV56HiNgMIFMOokKUj0UsRPYsvUKmcmGJnXjyzG0ZxJFBHHxoxNXj6H2UHG_v2Tj37qy6ZYmXR06vM69Dpxj316iPjS49_qGfwdSjfszW09pIU/w400-h235/Statue+Transport.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The statue being moved in the 1980s, from Christopher <br />Clark's <i>Frederick the Great and the Enigma of Prussia</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>After being nearly melted, and saved by chance, the statue was sent to the Charlottenhof palace in Potsdam for twenty years. By the 1980s, however, the East German government had officially softened its position on Frederick, and Erich Honecker, the East German head of state, personally ordered the restoration of the Rauch’s equestrian statue of Frederick the Great on <i>Unter den Linden</i>. In the later stages of the Cold War, Frederick was remembered in East Germany for his progressive social and legal policies. By emphasizing Frederick’s progressivism, rather than his military feats, the East German government found a way to rehabilitate his historical memory. The equestrian statue remained in place after the reunification of Germany, and it continues to inspire visitors to the Berlin State Library.[3]</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhitjnTCnVvKzqb3yd2-S287zWeRScHj4uHnbjPexV_vB0Bj6-h9S8zv2l077Y8dvTyqpstZBN5zK6_8U4gNc_8kfdzmivYZgxyXSFQALG40hQUSzbDXZV33kIbclgZ2UvYLFwDnogpNPo/s1397/Final+Statue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1301" data-original-width="1397" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhitjnTCnVvKzqb3yd2-S287zWeRScHj4uHnbjPexV_vB0Bj6-h9S8zv2l077Y8dvTyqpstZBN5zK6_8U4gNc_8kfdzmivYZgxyXSFQALG40hQUSzbDXZV33kIbclgZ2UvYLFwDnogpNPo/w400-h373/Final+Statue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><b>Final Thoughts </b></div><div>What do the stories of these statues tell us? Very little about Frederick himself. Instead, they tell us about the changing nature of historical commemoration across time, regimes, and national boundaries. </div><div>These three statues display the variety of experience in contested historical commemoration. <b>The story of historical commemoration is not a tale of permanence. Statues are built, they are celebrated, they become controversial, they are protested, they are removed, they are destroyed, they live in obscurity, they are rebuilt. Every generation must decide how to commemorate its own past. What is certain, however, is that future generations will continue to contest this legacy: changing, revising, and rediscovering how the past is remembered</b>. What we believe about historical figures and their commemoration is important to us today. It is almost guaranteed that the next generation will remember the same set of historical figures with a different lens of significance. </div><div><br /></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;">If you enjoyed this post, or any of our other posts, please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kabinettskriege/">liking us on facebook</a>, or <a href="https://twitter.com/KKriegeBlog">following us on twitter</a>. <a href="https://www.patreon.com/Kabinettskriege">Consider checking out our exclusive content on Patreon.</a> Finally, we are dedicated to keeping Kabinettskriege ad-free. In order to assist with this, please consider supporting us via the donate button in the upper right-hand corner of the page. As always:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for Reading, </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div>Alex Burns</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div>[1]Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), 08 Nov. 1927. <i>Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers</i>. Library of Congress. <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><</span><a href="https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1927-11-08/ed-1/seq-15/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #003366; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1927-11-08/ed-1/seq-15/</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">></span></div><div>[2] Historical Marker with the assistance of the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center, Carlisle. </div><div>[3] Helmut Engel and Wolfgang Ribbe, <i>Via triumphais: Geschichtslandschaft, “Unter den Linden” zwischen Friedrich-Denkmal und Schlossbrücke</i>, (Berlin: Akadmie Verlag, 1997), 52.</div></div></div></div></div>Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-5653821907699026502021-06-10T12:31:00.002-04:002021-06-10T12:47:43.971-04:00Separating Fact from Fiction in Historical Writing: Popular Military History and How to Read It<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivgQZVA6JkMKwBG6dBpR8DlKIYaac3mIqXGiLADdFBpONQP-hhDJZW78Nwsy1irKpwsuwXhrrkBMHWt6TmniV4IE_M83__2IzryvKXIOjsjG3EeSTrLIQGguEm-htmO2L1j5_S5lyAXDg/s2048/195839723_608350176797870_8781736559607409563_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivgQZVA6JkMKwBG6dBpR8DlKIYaac3mIqXGiLADdFBpONQP-hhDJZW78Nwsy1irKpwsuwXhrrkBMHWt6TmniV4IE_M83__2IzryvKXIOjsjG3EeSTrLIQGguEm-htmO2L1j5_S5lyAXDg/w400-h300/195839723_608350176797870_8781736559607409563_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Dear Reader,</p><p>Unlike many academic disciplines, military history, as well as political history and biography, have long contained writing targeted at a non-specialist audience. That is to say, people who are non-specialists (who did not obtain graduate degrees in the field they are writing in) author books targeted to appeal to the broad audience that military history garners. Often, these books are well written, but contain some factual or interpretive errors. So, today, <b>I am setting out to give some brief guidelines that I use when evaluating a book,</b> so that you can use your own best judgement when thinking about claims made by an author, or whether to spend your hard-earned on a book. </p><p><b>This post is not a screed against writers without Ph.Ds.</b> I have good friends outside the academic world who not only write history, but write history well. <a href="http://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2019/09/author-interview-john-rees-on-they-were.html">John U. Rees</a>, the author of <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/They-Were-Good-Soldiers-African-Americans/dp/1911628542/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1623333515&refinements=p_27%3AJohn+U.+Rees&s=books&sr=1-1">They were Good Soldiers</a>,</i> with <a href="https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/they-were-good-soldiers-african-americans-serving-in-the-continental-army-1775-1783.php">Helion and Company</a>, is a perfect example of this type of author. John has spent a lifetime as an amateur (one who works for the love of the subject) historian, and has learned more about the Continental Army of the American War of Independence than any specialist scholar I know. When you read John's work (and John is simply an example, there are many like him) it is clear from the copious quoted citations from original sources, that he has done the necessary footwork in research. </p><p>I am increasingly concerned, however, that non-specialists make it difficult for professional historians to effectively challenge myths. In May of 2019, journalist and award-winning author <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFKmvgF6vG0">Rick Atkinson gave a engaging talk at George Washington's Mount Vernon.</a> In a hour of speaking, Atkinson held forth knowledgably on many topics. When he turned to the subject of combat during the American War of Independence, however, he began to falter. Atkinson asserted that, "Unlike modern war, killing is usually intimate, at very close range, face to face, often with the bayonet. That's partly because eighteenth-century muskets were mostly inaccurate beyond fifty yards and usually hopeless beyond one hundred yards."[1] Here, he paraphrases claims made in his book.[2] <a href="http://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_13.html">Readers of this blog will recall the various ways that these myths have been addressed</a>, both here and in the published works of historians like Christopher Duffy. Atkinson then discusses the number of rounds necessary to hit an enemy soldier as evidence, despite the fact that the figure has only increased in modern warfare, despite the obvious increase in weapon accuracy.[3] </p><p>Atkinson's stereotyping regarding eighteenth-century warfare is followed by Patrick K. O'Donnell, in his popular treatment of an elite Maryland regiment the Continental Army, <i>Washington's Immortals. </i>Like Atkinson, O'Donnell has written award-winning books on more recent military conflicts. O'Donnell summarizes infantry combat in the period as follows: </p><blockquote><p>Technology drove tactics. Because muskets were so inaccurate, troops practiced laying down concentrated fire in large numbers. Soldiers of the time lined up in rows, sometimes eight or ten ranks deep, and fired en masse, meaning that everyone in the front rank wo had a clear line of sight to the opposing side pulled his trigger at the same time. This massed fire improved the odds of hitting the enemy. </p></blockquote><blockquote><p>As formidable as they sound, most of these volleys weren't very successful. "It was just possible for a good marksman to hit a man at 100 yards; a volley could be fired with some chance of obtaining hits on a mass of troops at 200 yards, but at 300 yards fire was completely ineffective." [4] </p></blockquote><p>O'Donnell clearly misleads the reader, as firing lines in the eighteenth-century were ranged between two and four ranks deep, and during the war he is discussing, two was the norm.[5] </p><p>In <i>Washington's Immortals, </i>O'Donnell does not provide a reference for this quotation above. His more recent book, <i>The Indispensables, </i>reproduces this passage almost verbatim, and does source the quote. O'Donnell found this quote, likely in Michael Stephenson's <i>Patriot Battles, </i>a passable secondary work, who in turn, found it in Major General Basil Perronet Hughes 1974 work, <i>Firepower: Weapon Effectiveness on the Battlefield, 163-1850. </i>So, to review, O'Donnell has used a quote in his book, that was quoted in book from 2007, which in turn was quoting original material from 1974. In making strong claims about the accuracy of musketry and the range of firefights, which contradict the more recent scholarly assessments (Duffy, 1987), O'Donnell is fairly far removed from primary sources. </p><p>Now, it might seem that I am picking on Atkinson and O'Donnell, both of whom are far more well-known than I will ever be, and who are the award-winning authors of many books. They are both excellent writers, and many of their books are outstanding. The trouble arises when these authors, who do not have formal historical training, having written many well-received books, begin to think that they can write in all periods of history with equal skill. The casual reader of military picks up these books, often cheaply, in paperback form, and assumes that because the author is well-known, and claims to be a historian, that they have done the necessary research and know what they are talking about. This, naturally, perpetuates myths asserted when non-specialists use older secondary works to frame their perspectives. </p><p>What I hope to do in the remainder of this post, then, is <b>provide a checklist that the casual reader of military history can use</b> to evaluate the abundant works of popular history which they might find at the local bookstore. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbMGKxiyfVCRQEVJ44qIt7X45J5Cc7je9xs2cEnysB69MFcR1uDJA35V5cWzHabsPjRX0i2z27EJFrkgZyHvl_6XhUGLNpWf_a-kPNmm6ZTIJnqy_XB-HmApVhc9YpFFjq5bq_xvolRg/s2048/196859951_772785883402288_3506984769841323301_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbMGKxiyfVCRQEVJ44qIt7X45J5Cc7je9xs2cEnysB69MFcR1uDJA35V5cWzHabsPjRX0i2z27EJFrkgZyHvl_6XhUGLNpWf_a-kPNmm6ZTIJnqy_XB-HmApVhc9YpFFjq5bq_xvolRg/w400-h300/196859951_772785883402288_3506984769841323301_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A somewhat worn copy of Dr. Matthew Spring's <br /><i>With Zeal and With Bayonets Only</i> shows Notes and a Bibliography</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b>1. Survey the Contents. </b></p><p>A necessary first step for anyone who seeks to judge a book by more than its cover. Open the book to the "table of contents" page. In addition to the listed chapters, is their an endnote section, or a bibliography, or even a "suggested further readings" section. If the book has all of these things, regardless of who the author is, or who the publishing house might be, it is apparent that the author has at least tried to provide an apparatus for where the reader can evaluate their claims based on evidence. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdAY8uf8bD9BTn5wR2c_LZVIqvnpDx3X03cyWhSx3Jaywnu3bg4Fir75A5JVNUIqx8SNVgjNQsUjfCWpjqfIV0YIjcBKi5hEs1TOARgm8w9mjETlm8-uNM5wF6LtXFXT5e0rLn84kfU4E/s2048/194329350_299991611797205_1251730599902280079_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdAY8uf8bD9BTn5wR2c_LZVIqvnpDx3X03cyWhSx3Jaywnu3bg4Fir75A5JVNUIqx8SNVgjNQsUjfCWpjqfIV0YIjcBKi5hEs1TOARgm8w9mjETlm8-uNM5wF6LtXFXT5e0rLn84kfU4E/w400-h300/194329350_299991611797205_1251730599902280079_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Publication Page (Left) for Dr. Andrew Bamford's <br /><i>Sickness, Suffering and the Sword</i> promisingly shows <br />a university press affiliation, as well as a recent publication date</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b>2. Look at the Publication Information </b></p><p>Almost all books have a page, usually opposite of the table of contents, which list of information about the work. Look at this page briefly, with a few things in mind. Where was the book published? If it came out with a university press, you can be fairly certain that the book has undergone a peer-review process, that is, the chapters of the book have been scrubbed the author's personal information, and reviewed by at least one, and often multiple, other historians who specialize in this area. This is not a fool-proof answer for problems, academic historians make mistakes and can be wrong. Secondly, look for when the book was published: books which were published, broadly, after 1960, began to be subjected to much more rigorous scholarly review and quotes and claims are more likely to be footnoted with primary-source evidence. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEby1znDWDZcuNAnSBhR8v9ltqLMexA0o6vp_5u5ZkOjylcw-T2OQttylTVKpgdDod93VgpC92duSxb1ykCoPcnMjLCCdRYlXC9mB9z0nZ5vdbxlAWE5ufPtqHr9o7ZvDMjD8fdKyTIOE/s2048/197510248_915507259296517_4944386421142830436_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEby1znDWDZcuNAnSBhR8v9ltqLMexA0o6vp_5u5ZkOjylcw-T2OQttylTVKpgdDod93VgpC92duSxb1ykCoPcnMjLCCdRYlXC9mB9z0nZ5vdbxlAWE5ufPtqHr9o7ZvDMjD8fdKyTIOE/w400-h300/197510248_915507259296517_4944386421142830436_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In his <i>1812: March to Moscow, </i>Paul Austin provides a bibliography <br />and notes,but his quotations are uncited, a potential headache. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjctoixb8pDSOmtn5uoSodDWqGSAUd0A8PxkIbRyL-EuygchVjnBRwin3KptyWc7PFVlUnZ8Uy1_GlZ0x8iSkkqzpKk1kkBtlq9q6F-6GsbMt7982l8pMuOfyvHfeCnn12fOndqW1HWgeA/s2048/Pages.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjctoixb8pDSOmtn5uoSodDWqGSAUd0A8PxkIbRyL-EuygchVjnBRwin3KptyWc7PFVlUnZ8Uy1_GlZ0x8iSkkqzpKk1kkBtlq9q6F-6GsbMt7982l8pMuOfyvHfeCnn12fOndqW1HWgeA/w400-h300/Pages.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By contrast, in <i>Military Experience of the Age of Reason, </i><br />Christopher Duffy provides large quotes and in-text citations<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>3. Leaf through a few pages </b></p><p>Starting from your place at the publication information, select four or five pages, at random, from the main chapters of the book. Examine each page. Are there quotes? Do these quotes have citations? Are their citations for more than just the quoted material? Are there footnotes at the bottom of the page? If there are uncited quotations, that is a potential warning sign. If none of the pages you randomly select have footnotes or in-text citations, that is a potential warning sign. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWkju3EW7NRbWq4bNxbIAQEnsEZBlf7JI0_HjzeIlzjQ1Mstw5oNefyeNkjVS1w6Y8xEuWpdU1gHyH9gRYz15-oH6xS-w5wv4JqDV9EeznSbBD8Ml6GfQ5olHqFzMrNffPtib-sT8Pvqo/s2048/Histo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1508" data-original-width="2048" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWkju3EW7NRbWq4bNxbIAQEnsEZBlf7JI0_HjzeIlzjQ1Mstw5oNefyeNkjVS1w6Y8xEuWpdU1gHyH9gRYz15-oH6xS-w5wv4JqDV9EeznSbBD8Ml6GfQ5olHqFzMrNffPtib-sT8Pvqo/w400-h295/Histo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In his introduction, Dr. Andrew Bamford is referencing <br />historiography and giving footnotes: a promising sign. </td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>4. Engagement with Historiography</b></p><p>At this point, I am sure some of my readers eyes are beginning to glaze over. How well an author connects with historiography, or the collected works of historical literature on a specific topic, can give you valuable information. First of all, referencing other arguments that have been made demonstrates that the author of the book you are holding has read widely, and is not unnecessarily covering ground that other historians have already trod. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ujgHLlv0O5she03gLQV_dNEIRyCKrXe_BF_H8BD8S3QZaoAQYdLNdkZDtWpPnRBAdLXzycQHdYRbxlw-8atxtRorfolA4uQXSSgSKTMFhEYhXAn54azdr_Si1r4UMDydnT1YSu5mIas/s2048/190355982_214718070496763_7852779824853477041_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ujgHLlv0O5she03gLQV_dNEIRyCKrXe_BF_H8BD8S3QZaoAQYdLNdkZDtWpPnRBAdLXzycQHdYRbxlw-8atxtRorfolA4uQXSSgSKTMFhEYhXAn54azdr_Si1r4UMDydnT1YSu5mIas/w400-h300/190355982_214718070496763_7852779824853477041_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The opening of the Bibliography of Thomas Chavez's <br /><i>Spain and the Independence of the United States</i><br />shows primary sources that have been subdivided by type</td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>5. Examine the Bibliography or Notes </b></p><p>In this step, judge how much material the author has collected. Specifically, you should hope to find collections of both primary and secondary sources. Primary sources (quotations from the period being studied) are very valuable. A good work of history will often list these sources separately, and even break down primary sources and secondary sources into sub-categories: Archival Material, Publish Primary Sources, Periodicals, Unpublished Dissertations, etc. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdO27HJFudrfS7js5wmt4O_nX7YdeWyPMXo2sGzNLh4eUoogvmp3PbQJFCfd09yJQPmUn_Y102syTqwn5piDqPiZvd3Ogn7_uIVVMmK_LNgqpGeWSxXAy0fNRQmuDGNTb5OT4uEQOPEI/s2048/197422893_116679360512801_4126820930788303185_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1686" data-original-width="2048" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdO27HJFudrfS7js5wmt4O_nX7YdeWyPMXo2sGzNLh4eUoogvmp3PbQJFCfd09yJQPmUn_Y102syTqwn5piDqPiZvd3Ogn7_uIVVMmK_LNgqpGeWSxXAy0fNRQmuDGNTb5OT4uEQOPEI/w400-h329/197422893_116679360512801_4126820930788303185_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The author blurb for <i>The British are Coming </i></td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>6. Think about the qualifications of the Author</b></p><p>By now, you will already have some sense of the level of expertise that the author has brought to bear on their subject. With that said, it may still be helpful to examine their stated qualifications. Did they go to graduate school for their topic? Have they held a long-term interest in the topic, or have they mostly published in other fields? None of these questions should cause you to dismiss the book out of hand, which is why I place this criteria last: it is probably the least important. </p><p><b>Armed with this guide, I hope you have the resources necessary to evaluate the quality of your reading material, on whatever your topic may be.</b> Historians of various backgrounds should be able to write their books for a wide audience, but make sure that they are adequately supporting the claims that they make. By finding works which do so, you can better equip yourself for whatever you hope to obtain from your library. </p><div style="margin: 0px;">If you enjoyed this post, or any of our other posts, please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kabinettskriege/">liking us on facebook</a>, or <a href="https://twitter.com/KKriegeBlog">following us on twitter</a>. <a href="https://www.patreon.com/Kabinettskriege">Consider checking out our exclusive content on Patreon.</a> Finally, we are dedicated to keeping Kabinettskriege ad-free. In order to assist with this, please consider supporting us via the donate button in the upper right-hand corner of the page. As always:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for Reading, </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div>Alex Burns</div></div><p>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>[1] Quote comes from Atkinson's lecture, available on youtube, at 31:00 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFKmvgF6vG0</p><p>[2] Rick Atkinson, <i>The British are Coming, </i>62. </p><p>[3] https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/us-forced-to-import-bullets-from-israel-as-troops-use-250000-for-every-rebel-killed-28580666.html</p><p>[4] Patrick K. O'Donnell, <i>Washington's Immortals, </i>29. </p><p>[5] James Scudieri, "The Continentals: A Comparative Analysis of a late eighteenth-century standing Army." Unpublished Dissertation, City University of New York, 1993. 203-204 </p>Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-2191778680710191372021-03-17T11:38:00.004-04:002021-03-17T11:51:00.274-04:00Did Soldiers use Grenades in the Mid-Eighteenth Century?<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1VWLuTctrfiAFlvhM-0wV3BPqmQFGUk7uiKit2XyhIVhAZ6ZBQ1u1MT6PTYHK3p9P3c760Q6pB89sGe41dGciNwHtObYX4O-2YzJAz46RafA2a_cCV0AHUrntcTwjDdqXZhZ2lYEcUA/s1285/Grenade+Exercise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1285" data-original-width="1199" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1VWLuTctrfiAFlvhM-0wV3BPqmQFGUk7uiKit2XyhIVhAZ6ZBQ1u1MT6PTYHK3p9P3c760Q6pB89sGe41dGciNwHtObYX4O-2YzJAz46RafA2a_cCV0AHUrntcTwjDdqXZhZ2lYEcUA/w374-h400/Grenade+Exercise.jpg" width="374" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plate from, <i>The Grenadiers exercise of the Granado...</i><br />published December 4th, 1744</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>Dear Reader,</p><p><br /></p><p>I sincerely apologize for the long silence. It has been too long since I've created any content on this site. I promised someone very dear to me that I would not write any more posts until after I had defended my dissertation, and I am delighted to report that I passed my dissertation defense on March 1st. Although I am still hard at work on revisions, I decided to take a bit of time out of that schedule to provide a short write-up on grenades. </p><p>The use of hand grenades is commonly associated with the period just before the Seven Years War: the grenadiers of the 1690s employed grenades in siege combat, and no-one would dispute this. Likewise, it is common knowledge that grenades continued to be employed by naval forces during the eighteenth century. On land, however, it is commonly asserted, that grenades fell out of fashion after the War of Spanish Succession, and played little part in warfare during the Seven Years War or American War of Independence. Evidence shows that this is incorrect. <b>Grenades continued to play an important part in siege warfare throughout this period, and both European and American officers concurred that armies needed to be supplied and equipped with grenades. </b></p><p>During this entire period, the hand grenade was a hollow ball of metal (glass grenades were also employed by the Austrian military, but may be from an earlier period) filled with gunpowder and ignited by means of a short fuse. A military author defined grenades in 1783: </p><blockquote><p>The hand-grenade, which is a hollow ball or shell, generally of iron, but sometimes of tin... of about 2 1/2 inches in diameter; was first used in 1594... it is filled with a very fine powder, and set on fire by means of a small fuze driven into the fuze hole.[1]</p></blockquote><p> </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1SzLp0ODH8ApZTBR6W-qeA38Vlvb_-yrhHwlovYbxUiYqh7Vv5rjt0SvWhqyx8AKvGHKzPG-oPHUK47Zi5mYHJC6_FV1uLnJinrNhXowah3ODhEL-gVAXAyY-pTLpIEPD9fUI7b_u_w/s742/Grenades+Forchtenstein.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="742" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1SzLp0ODH8ApZTBR6W-qeA38Vlvb_-yrhHwlovYbxUiYqh7Vv5rjt0SvWhqyx8AKvGHKzPG-oPHUK47Zi5mYHJC6_FV1uLnJinrNhXowah3ODhEL-gVAXAyY-pTLpIEPD9fUI7b_u_w/w400-h313/Grenades+Forchtenstein.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pile of early modern grenades and musket balls, <br />Forchtenstein Castle</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>Evidence for the continued use of grenades by European armies is substantial. In 1747, two (probably drunk) Prussian cantonists disrupted a engagement party by exploding hand grenades nearby, until the minister had them chased off (no mean feat).[2] When the Austrians captured Schweidnitz in 1757, they inherited a store of almost 81,000 hand grenades from their former Prussian owners.[3] In 1779, Gaston de Commines, a soldier formerly in Austrian service, writing from the United Provinces, attempted to convince Benjamin Franklin of the efficacy of his new grenade launcher, which he envisioned mounted troops employing.[4] Lewis Lochée, a naturalized British military writer from the Austrian Netherlands, wrote on hand grenades in his 1783 treatise on field fortification, arguing that camps should have, "palisades fixed at a certain distances from the parapet.. to obtain the additional security against hand grenades." Lochee continued, "the distance that hand-grenades can be thrown is from 25 to 30 yards."[5] Thus, Prussian cantonists had access to grenades in peacetime, and set a considerable store of them aside. Authors and inventors with Austrian, Dutch, and British connections likewise considered the use of hand grenades, and developed new weapons for their employ. However, were they used in actual combat? </p><p>It seems that, much like their use during the Nine Years War and War of Spanish Succession, hand grenades were most commonly deployed around fortresses. British troops utilized hand grenades in colonial conflict, such as against the Native Americans who took part in Pontiac's War in 1763. Simeon Ecuyer, the officer commanding at Fort Pitt, noted that the Indians, "continued firing at the fort all night, [we] threw some hand grenades into the ditch where we imagined some of the enemy were."[6] Captain Dalrympe of the Loyal Irish Volunteers wrote Lord Germain in 1779, describing the attack on the fortress at Porto Omoa, asserting that his troops, "were formed into four columns in line, four men advanced in each column, with guides at the head... followed [by] eight men with carrying the ladders, who were followed by a few hand grenade men."[7] Although the Loyal Irish took part in this assault, seamen and marines also formed part of the attack. </p><p>Grenades were also captured, acquired and employed by American troops during the War of Independence. At the capture of Fort Chambly in October of 1775, part of the stores which fell into American hands were, "500 hand grenades."[8] American Colonel Richard Gridley estimated that American troops would need, "2000 hand grenades" in order to successfully besiege Boston.[9] Captain Thomas Antoine Mauduit du Plessis, a French engineer working with the American troops, wrote to Washington in 1777 that Fort Red Bank could better defended if, "we can with mines [and] hands grenades... secure him."[10] Like most European armies, then, the North American rebels primarily used grenades in the context of sieges and defending positions. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdnyAVwLENiCfMfyIPCjybhafuItiltVHOe9wfcL-wW_FJ3cvMuWnX285QZfbxmZL4qLInx8FveLKydF3K1jK7xbZT5GIdrBVtLHsMNJ_fa9OTAoB_ch6PAuGvJ3vkdPfqm8BvFyx-h6w/s642/Elbing+Image+Russians.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="642" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdnyAVwLENiCfMfyIPCjybhafuItiltVHOe9wfcL-wW_FJ3cvMuWnX285QZfbxmZL4qLInx8FveLKydF3K1jK7xbZT5GIdrBVtLHsMNJ_fa9OTAoB_ch6PAuGvJ3vkdPfqm8BvFyx-h6w/w400-h301/Elbing+Image+Russians.png" title="Russian Troops experimenting with Mortars" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Russian Troops experimenting with mortars, 1750s[11]</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The Russians, in contrast with most armies in Military Europe, stood out for their great love of hand grenades during the eighteenth century. Russian grenadiers and fusiliers carried grenades throughout the Seven Years War, carrying two grenades in a special bandoleer.[12] Grenadiers were instructed to throw these grenades whenever the enemy was close enough.[13] This was also done by the dragoon regiments in the Russian Army, who like the infantry had special ammunition carts for the transport of grenades. Perhaps uniquely among eighteenth-century armies, Russian troops planned for the use of grenades outside siege warfare. In skirmishes with East Prussian militia forces, Russian dragoons were instructed to dismount and throw their grenades whenever the enemy took cover or used buildings as a strongpoint.[14] The Russian army employed grenades in a variety of settings, and even equipped their mounted troops with grenades.</p><p>Thus, although there were some regional differences, <b>troops all across Europe and North America continued to employ hand grenades in specific settings during the middle decades of the eighteenth-century</b>. These weapons did not disappear with the end of the War of Spanish Succession, and continue to be employed throughout the period. </p><div style="margin: 0px;">If you enjoyed this post, or any of our other posts, please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kabinettskriege/">liking us on facebook</a>, or <a href="https://twitter.com/KKriegeBlog">following us on twitter</a>. <a href="https://www.patreon.com/Kabinettskriege">Consider checking out our exclusive content on Patreon.</a> Finally, we are dedicated to keeping Kabinettskriege ad-free. In order to assist with this, please consider supporting us via the donate button in the upper right-hand corner of the page. As always:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for Reading, </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div>Alex Burns</div></div><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- </p>[1] Lewis Lochée, Elements of Field Fortification, 22. <br />[2] William W. Hagen, Ordinary Prussians, 155, 472.<br />[3] George Grey Butler (editor) and Horace St. Paul, A Journal of the First Two Campaigns of the Seven Years War, (Cambridge: 1914), 380. <br />[4] Barbara B. Oberg, The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, November 1, 1779, through February 29, 1780, Volume 31, 48–54. <br />[5] Lewis Lochée, Elements of Field Fortification, 22. <br />[6] Mary C. Darlington, Fort Pitt and Letters from the Frontier, 105. <br />[7] The Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure, Volume 65, 319. <br />[8] The Scots Magazine, Volume 37 (1775), 651. <br />[9] Philander D. Chase, The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, Volume 2, 210.<br />[10]Philander D. Chase, The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, Volume 12, 287.<br />[11] For this and more excellent images of the Russian Army, see: Tomasz Karpinski, "Unknown Iconographic Sources for the History of the Russian Army: The Russian garrison in Elblag during the Seven Years War though the Observation of Eyewitnesses,"<i> Milihist Info. </i><a href="http://www.milhist.info/2020/09/14/karpinski/">Link</a><br /><div>[12] Groβen Generalstabe, Die Krieges Friedrichs des Groβen, Teil 3, Der Siebenjaehrige Krieg, Volume 4 (Berlin, E. Mittler und Sohn, 1914) 5,29.<br />[13] Ibid. <br />[14]Christopher Duffy, Russia's Military Way to the West, 64. </div>Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-51561469647973271192021-01-05T15:09:00.005-05:002021-01-05T15:09:32.264-05:00Life in the Red Coat Podcast <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishUA0v8i6fSPFJ56356tl_hxgTTMt6F_rNIpCN2JWV9qqt6Y_eGVM5LPdM9aHr1SZkYmgQ8BB7BSJ9m_Z8JjlKYL6zWIEdGHIeHAVJaUDKzHr000nUaoR8sny_H6dc2eVO6y23DhwZU4/s595/Screenshot+%252879%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="595" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishUA0v8i6fSPFJ56356tl_hxgTTMt6F_rNIpCN2JWV9qqt6Y_eGVM5LPdM9aHr1SZkYmgQ8BB7BSJ9m_Z8JjlKYL6zWIEdGHIeHAVJaUDKzHr000nUaoR8sny_H6dc2eVO6y23DhwZU4/s320/Screenshot+%252879%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dear Readers,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wanted to attach a link for a podcast, Khaki Malarkey, which I was recently on, discussing the publication of a new book on British soldiers in and out of combat during the eighteenth century and Napoleonic era. I had the good fortune to join Dr. Andrew Bamford, in addition to a number of other historians. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6TU5ZVmkItqk77vjEXrFf8?si=f0J-RATeQvSBUb3WbAojSg&fbclid=IwAR16luC3ywwcBA3l8nkvrdx5H6KSNmz2ZvEWXMj9j80Ppbxf0VGonPpnt-g" target="_blank">Podcast Link</a><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you enjoyed this podocast, or any of our other posts, please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kabinettskriege/">liking us on facebook</a>, or <a href="https://twitter.com/KKriegeBlog">following us on twitter</a>. <a href="https://www.patreon.com/Kabinettskriege">Consider checking out our exclusive content on Patreon.</a> Finally, we are dedicated to keeping Kabinettskriege ad-free. In order to assist with this, please consider supporting us via the donate button in the upper right-hand corner of the page. As always:</span></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks for Reading,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Alex </span></p>Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-79014243238966403912020-08-20T09:45:00.003-04:002020-10-29T15:36:22.346-04:00260th Anniversary of the Battle of Strehla (Gefecht bei Oschatz) <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8NEInTN9kGJdngG8TrdAFlseCwllVJsFtYYgzdMHyM4NhHDAIbnMY8tDtzeosRgiYCLSyd3SLYAAP3exkeLvoOnNSdStmOJrYL9OWYmz0kxsXX59oJCk3whA2pHhGGZe53ZR19eFvvM/s1600/IMG_2577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8NEInTN9kGJdngG8TrdAFlseCwllVJsFtYYgzdMHyM4NhHDAIbnMY8tDtzeosRgiYCLSyd3SLYAAP3exkeLvoOnNSdStmOJrYL9OWYmz0kxsXX59oJCk3whA2pHhGGZe53ZR19eFvvM/s400/IMG_2577.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the Dürrenberg to the southeast, where the vast majority of the<br />
Reichsarmee remained as a fixing force.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Today is the 260th anniversary of the Battle of Strehla (Gefect bei Oschatz), during the Seven Years War in German Central Europe. A small battle by the standards of the European Seven Years War, with perhaps just under 40,000 men on the battlefield, it is larger than any of the battles of the American War of Independence. Fought in the electorate of Saxony, allied forces attempted to use their large numerical superiority to force the occupying Prussian army to abandon a good defensive position on the river Elbe. I had the good fortune to be able to walk this battlefield in 2018, in the summer just a few weeks before the battle's anniversary.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JtdNIx5VHhyphenhyphenLjeFxoajD05kWVsBvEA-T_G0vYmTDDmn0yS9ziOecEYliPfwgGrA_Z0PCzvqJeou5H2osKnDOBrY6cn6EynmQ7K4xFKKBTimDW7U0jFqk1WrqN0qKg4mEYy0mTIG-O4M/s1600/strehla-gefechtsplan-siebenjaehriger-krieg-plan-von-der-durch-die-kayserl-und-reichs-armee-am-20-aug-1760-unter-commando-des-herzogs-von-zweybruecken-ueber-das-preuss-den-hulfensche-corps-erfochtenen-sieges-bei-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="698" data-original-width="900" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JtdNIx5VHhyphenhyphenLjeFxoajD05kWVsBvEA-T_G0vYmTDDmn0yS9ziOecEYliPfwgGrA_Z0PCzvqJeou5H2osKnDOBrY6cn6EynmQ7K4xFKKBTimDW7U0jFqk1WrqN0qKg4mEYy0mTIG-O4M/s400/strehla-gefechtsplan-siebenjaehriger-krieg-plan-von-der-durch-die-kayserl-und-reichs-armee-am-20-aug-1760-unter-commando-des-herzogs-von-zweybruecken-ueber-das-preuss-den-hulfensche-corps-erfochtenen-sieges-bei-.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A (not breath-takingly accuarte) period map of Strehla</td></tr>
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In this battle, the 67 year-old Prussian Lt. General, Johann Dietrich von Hülsen was attacked by an Austrian and Reichsarmee force under the command of Karl Friedrich Graf von Pfalz Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld.[1] At this battle, the allied Austrians and Reichsarmee numbered between 25,000 to 30,000 men, and faced a Prussian Army of 10,000 to 12,000 men.[2]<br />
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Hülsen deployed his soldiers on two sets of rising ground near the small town of Strehla, with his main army in a defensive camp by the town, and a detached force of grenadiers and artillery further west from the river on the high ground north of the village of Clanzschwitz. In this battle, the Austrians would ignore Hülsen's main camp, and focus their efforts on the relatively isolated grenadiers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZ3DZAUlaRFdqMFXabSrTDoChQRqRHARB2DMcn2xq6fsb49IPOJ4jmaNRTmG8koksSHWAVF-N7O-veJGHOl3lBNvEPxdRVkU5YNL4dzeAFNapueUTvdagdKwu4mHTTB1lF7OS-ILsTIE/s1600/IMG_2573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZ3DZAUlaRFdqMFXabSrTDoChQRqRHARB2DMcn2xq6fsb49IPOJ4jmaNRTmG8koksSHWAVF-N7O-veJGHOl3lBNvEPxdRVkU5YNL4dzeAFNapueUTvdagdKwu4mHTTB1lF7OS-ILsTIE/s400/IMG_2573.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from Prussian positions at the Dürrenberg, towards Gausco's Austrian<br />
Grenadiers. The village of Clanzschwitz is in shadow</td></tr>
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Attempting an attack by multiple columns, the allies surrounded Hülsen's isolated advanced post at the Dürrenberg, where Major General Braun stood with 4-5 battalions of Prussian Grenadiers. Tying up the Austrian Grenadiers from the south with an artillery duel, Braun shifted his forces move towards a large hill with a windmill to the west, just as FML. Kleefeld's detachment of five battalions broke out of woods directly to Braun's north. Shifting his battalions to meet this more immediate threat, Braun benefited from the relative inactivity of Austrian forces to his west and south, who continued to engage his forces in an artillery duel, but did not launch heavy attacks. FML Kreefeld's force engaged the Prussian grenadiers in a close range firefight.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNQ6zFigYqZsSjdmzWjzM2o2_S0Z5CWdE01ZEc3LzGI-BYansoUbH3i871aqDuCx3Ggog6BXSAWvahgyO_sVncYHdABKOP7u9hJmpXXyxU0vTAr-qLN_3kQU00ZNENE0R9EXGuc2E0b88/s1600/IMG_2567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNQ6zFigYqZsSjdmzWjzM2o2_S0Z5CWdE01ZEc3LzGI-BYansoUbH3i871aqDuCx3Ggog6BXSAWvahgyO_sVncYHdABKOP7u9hJmpXXyxU0vTAr-qLN_3kQU00ZNENE0R9EXGuc2E0b88/s400/IMG_2567.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking north from the Dürrenberg, to where the Austrians under Kleefeld would<br />
have emerged. </td></tr>
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At this point, Hülsen, realizing the danger, immediately moved the Schorlemer Dragoons across the battlefield, riding between the dueling Austrian and Prussian artillery, to attack the flank of Kleefeld's corps. Eventually, these troops were bailed out by Austrian cuirassier, but not before the dragoons had broken up the attack, with the support of the grenadiers already engaged. The battle ended with a cavalry fight on the north end of the battlefield above the village of Laas, where Colonel Kleist, having redeployed to face a large body of allied cavalry, pushed these forces back, ending the battle. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbRuVM9RCsAvlTKR4tRU1ceYS1WH1ha204hsmYPQji6YTg4RRC7frkxf4auBlQeNyTHVUNLvSeEuxEMd1y2A-4WsQMoB5BYHdU3O-KyFEtsX0HfyQoBORgXyTWUJ9MR0e-c_w1De-yBE/s1600/IMG_2579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbRuVM9RCsAvlTKR4tRU1ceYS1WH1ha204hsmYPQji6YTg4RRC7frkxf4auBlQeNyTHVUNLvSeEuxEMd1y2A-4WsQMoB5BYHdU3O-KyFEtsX0HfyQoBORgXyTWUJ9MR0e-c_w1De-yBE/s400/IMG_2579.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of the northern cavalry battlefield on the flat ground northwest of the <br />
village of Laas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In a sharp fight lasting only two hours, the Prussians had defeated an enemy force that outnumbered them over two to one. The Prussians suffered approximately 1,000 killed and wounded, the allies suffered 1,800 killed and wounded, and 1,200 prisoners lost to the Prussians.[3] Realizing that discretion was the better part of valor, Hülsen<b> </b>withdrew to the stronger defensive position at Torgau the same day, delaying the allied advance for a month from that position.<br />
<br />
The battle shows fighting typical of the middle stages of the Seven Years War. The Austrians, impressed by their success at Hochkirch, continue to employ the method of moving independent columns to partially surround the enemy before attacking. Likewise, Austrian and higher quality Reichsarmee troops are used for actual combat operations, while the majority of the Reichsarmee is used to fix the enemy in place. In the actual battle, the difficulties in coordinating simultaneous independent assaults because evident, as the Prussians manage to fix enemy columns in place with long-range artillery duels. All in all, Hülsen, Braun, and Kleist performed quite well in the face of superior enemy forces.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
If you enjoyed this post, or any of our other posts, please consider <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kabinettskriege/">liking us on facebook</a>, or <a href="https://twitter.com/KKriegeBlog">following us on twitter</a>. <a href="https://www.patreon.com/Kabinettskriege">Consider checking out our exclusive content on Patreon.</a> Finally, we are dedicated to keeping Kabinettskriege ad-free. In order to assist with this, please consider supporting us via the donate button in the upper right-hand corner of the page. As always:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Thanks for Reading, </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Alex Burns<br />
<br />
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div>
</div>
[1] As a complete aside, Friedrich Wilhelm, Freiherr de Steuben (Baron Steuben), likely fought at this battle as a member of Hülsen's staff. Palmer, <i>General von Steuben, </i>38.<br />
[2] Christopher Duffy, <i>By Force of Arms, </i>273.<br />
[3] German General Staff, <i>Die Kriege Friedrichs des Großen</i>. Theil 3, <i>Der Siebenjährige Krieg, 1756-1763</i> Bd. 13, pg. 178.Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-53993917839601327592020-08-14T11:08:00.001-04:002020-08-14T16:59:20.022-04:00Urban Warfare in the Eighteenth Century<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBExXumrphLT9n4VfbHrf-Xg10R-LsoRuCOzASJ9EgiecMCzyYg4_qnml_rKXgi3AbyBeZzGfVo-rmM0Y2hsKItQBJdBfheiAXtg9R6H1Qr760-y0AXUoPpZ_FLzbeb8aZMSVP-7aL-FA/s1600/Cliveden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="607" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBExXumrphLT9n4VfbHrf-Xg10R-LsoRuCOzASJ9EgiecMCzyYg4_qnml_rKXgi3AbyBeZzGfVo-rmM0Y2hsKItQBJdBfheiAXtg9R6H1Qr760-y0AXUoPpZ_FLzbeb8aZMSVP-7aL-FA/s400/Cliveden.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two members of HM 40th Foot / 2nd Battalion LI - "Bloodhounds" take cover<br />
in Cliveden, photo credit Suzanne Shaw</td></tr>
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Dear Reader,<br />
<br />
Today, we are going to examine an understudied topic in eighteenth-century military history: urban warfare. Although the eighteenth century was an age where generals preferred to fight large field battles and conduct formal sieges, the century did indeed see its share of urban warfare, that is to say, troops fighting house to house in built-up areas. Troops would occasionally find themselves fighting in village houses during large field battles, but addressing that is not the main goal of my post today. <b>Rather, I seek to understand what happened when armies clashed in actual urban environments, towns or cities as they would have been identified in the eighteenth century.</b><br />
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Encounters of this sort are rare, but not unheard of. Principally, in writing this post, I examined the fight at Preston in 1715, the Austrian attack on Velletri in 1744, and the American assault on Quebec in 1775. At Preston, the Hanoverians attacked a unfortified town that a small Jacobite army had hastily attempted to barricade. At Velletri, an Austrian army attempted to capture the entourage of the future King Charles III of Spain. At Quebec, an initially successful assault on a fortified city bogged down in heavy street fighting. These experiences will be supplements by descriptions of village fighting in larger field battles. With these sources of experience in mind, what common experiences can we identify between these actions?<br />
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<b>When fighting in an urban environment, soldiers quickly sought out cover, usually by barricading themselves in houses. </b>At Preston in 1715, when the Jacobite commander William MacIntosh was asked why he chose to defend Preston rather than a nearby ridge, explained, "the body of the town was the security of the army."[1] At Velletri in 1744, civilians, seeing the fire that Austrian troops were spreading in the town, began firing at the troops in the street from barricaded houses. The Austrians soon followed suite, taking cover in whatever houses they could force open.[2] Events followed the same pattern at Quebec in 1775, when French civilians, loyal to the crown, opened fire on rebel troops marching through the lower town. In the words of a junior British officer observing the scene, "some of the French who took to the houses... ke[pt] gauling them so as obliged the rebels also to take to the houses... where they remained and returned our fire."[3] Larger buildings were valued as observation points and firing platforms.[4] At confused fighting at Leuthen and Hochkirch in the Seven Years War, Austrian and Prussian soldiers sought any cover they could find, and used a high churchyard walls in these villages as miniature fortresses.[5] At the Battle of Blenheim/Höchstadt in 1704, the French attempted to use the village of Blenheim (Blindheim) itself as a strongpoint.[6]<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schlacht bei Hochkirch, Carl Röchling</td></tr>
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<b>In addition to houses, soldiers constructed street barricades and fighting positions. </b>Searching for cover, soldiers used whatever they could find in order to provide cover for themselves. John Deane helpfully lists the materials used for the construction of street barricades at Blenheim: "trees, planks, coffers, chests, wagons, carts and palisades[.]"[7] At Leuthen in 1757, Austrians troops were told off, in the midst of battle, to construct fighting positions in the village.[8] At Preston in 1715, the Jacobites constructed numerous barricades across the streets, encompassing multiple lines of defense. In a running battle that lasted for days, the Hanoverians followed suit by building trenches and barricades of their own.[9] At Preston, some of these barricades were large enough for hundreds of men to take shelter behind.<br />
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<b>In the course of the natural use of houses as cover by soldiers, structures were almost always burned. </b>Fire had important tactical uses in the eighteenth century. Obviously, only immobile and suicidal men would remain in a burning structure during a fight, and many wounded men burned to death in these horrible encounters.[10] Soldiers set buildings on fire intentionally, in order to drive out defenders, at Preston and Velletri.[11] Fire, of course, spread unintentionally from there. Soldiers also believed that the smoke that fires generated could be employed as cover, essentially as a smoke screen. At Blenheim in 1704, and Preston in 1715, fires were intentionally set to give concealment to friendly forces. At Blenheim, John Deane relates that, "The village was sett on fire before we came to it by the enemy whereby they though to have blinded our gunners[.]"[12] At Preston, both the Hanoverians and the Jacobites used the smoke of burning buildings as cover, and may have set fire intentionally for that purpose.[13]<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Battle of Quebec, F. H. Wellington</td></tr>
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<b>In this urban setting, artillery played the role of supporting weapons, clearing streets, and demolishing enemy strongpoints. </b>Thomas Ainslee, a British officer at Quebec in 1775, described the process of taking a large house on a city street with American rebel troops inside:<br />
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Capt. Nairn...had by this time run up a ladder and entered a window at the end of the corner house where the enemy were posted, there they killed one and took another prisoner and my detachment in the other street having by my direction enlarged the post of one of the guns... brought it to bear on the house where most of them were. I ordered it to be fired and as it was loaded with canister and grape shott, it killed Capt. Hendrick of the Rifllers, wounded Capt. Lamb... and several others in the room all of these circumstances together... obliged them to lay down their arms and surrender.[14]</blockquote>
At Trenton in 1776, the American continental army used artillery to stop enemy movement on village streets, this tactic was also used by the Austrians at Hochkirch in 1758.[15] At Preston in 1715, cannons were used extensively to sweep streets of enemy forces, as well as fire on and demolish enemy strong points.[16] Henry Knox's suggestion to use artillery on the Cliveden at Germantown in 1777 may fit into this type of tactical thinking.<br />
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<b>Heavy fighting in an urban setting usually led to a high number of enemy troops surrendering, when cover and dense terrain meant that flight was impossible. </b>At Preston in 1715, the<b> </b>battle ended when after four days of resistance, the entirety of the Jacobite Army surrendered.[17] At Velletri, the fighting in the town netted the Austrians almost 600 prisoners. [18] At Quebec in 1775, more than one third of Montgomery's initial force, over 400 men, were captured by the British and their Canadian allies.[19]<br />
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<b>Finally, the consequences for the urban environment involved in the fighting were usually severe. </b>At Velletri in 1744, civilians were accidentally shot on one occasion, and looting by Austrian Grenzer was widespread.[20] In Preston, the prolonged nature of the fighting caused widespread destruction, and a commission for civilian relief set up after the end of hostilities received 226 requests from the inhabitants of Preston for relief, totalling sums of approximately £6,500, or approximately $850,000 today.[21]<br />
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Fighting in an urban environment was provided eighteenth-century soldiers with an odd mix of contradictions. In dense terrain, soldiers were more likely to have an abundance of cover, and use that cover effectively. Fire was used both offensively and defensively, to provide cover from the enemy, and drive the enemy from buildings. Artillery was employed with an impressive degree of tactical flexibility, to control enemy movement and reduce enemy strong points. Finally, despite the greater cover afforded by urban environments, soldiers were much more likely to be captured by the enemy in large numbers if they lost the engagement. Fighting in urban environments also had the possibility of causing great damage to civilian property. By and large, eighteenth-century warfare in an urban environment possess more than a passing continuity to the experiences of urban warfare in the modern world.<br />
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Alex Burns</div>
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[1] Charles Hardwick, <i>History of the Borough of Preston and Its Environs</i>, 224.<br />
[2] Christopher Duffy, <i>The Wild Goose and the Eagle, </i>(2019 edition), 85-6.<br />
[3] MSS L2019F60, Society of the Cincinnati Library, (Thomas Ainslee's account of the Siege of Quebec)<br />
[4]Charles Hardwick, <i>History of the Borough of Preston and Its Environs</i>, 225-6.<br />
[5] Christopher Duffy, <i>Army of Frederick the Great, </i>(1996 edition) 272, 284.<br />
[6] John Deane, <i>A Journal of Marlborough's Campaigns, </i>11.<br />
[7] Ibid.<br />
[8]Christopher Duffy, <i>Prussia's Glory, </i>158.<br />
[9] Charles Hardwick, <i>History of the Borough of Preston and Its Environs</i>, 224-228.<br />
[10] John Deane, <i>A Journal of Marlborough's Campaigns, </i>11.<br />
[11]Charles Hardwick, <i>History of the Borough of Preston and Its Environs</i>, 229; Duffy, <i>The Wild Goose and the Eagle, </i>85.<br />
[12] John Deane, <i>A Journal of Marlborough's Campaigns, </i>11.<br />
[13]Charles Hardwick, <i>History of the Borough of Preston and Its Environs</i>, 229<br />
[14]MSS L2019F60, Society of the Cincinnati Library, (Thomas Ainslee's account of the Siege of Quebec)<br />
[15]Charles Hardwick, <i>History of the Borough of Preston and Its Environs</i>, 225, 227<br />
[16] David Hackett Fisher, <i>Washington's Crossing, </i>244; Christopher Duffy, <i>Army of Frederick the Great, </i>(1996 edition), 284.<br />
[17] Ibid, 233.<br />
[18]Christopher Duffy, <i>The Wild Goose and the Eagle, </i>(2019 edition), 87.<br />
[19]MSS L2019F60, Society of the Cincinnati Library, (Thomas Ainslee's account of the Siege of Quebec)<br />
[20] Christopher Duffy, <i>The Wild Goose and the Eagle, </i>(2019 edition), 86.<br />
[21]Charles Hardwick, <i>History of the Borough of Preston and Its Environs</i>, 240Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-18799260495521768172020-07-16T09:19:00.000-04:002020-07-16T09:19:35.701-04:00Hear the Eighteenth Century Come Alive: Hogarth and the Art of Noise <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail, <i>The March of the Guards to Finchley, </i>William Hogarth</td></tr>
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Dear Reader,<br />
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Between May and September of 2019, the Foundling Museum in London hosted a spectacular exhibit centered on famous Hogarth painting, <i>The March of the Guards to Finchley. </i>This exhibit, entitled, "Hogarth and the Art of Noise," was designed to match this painting with recreations of sounds from the eighteenth century, including dialogue. <a href="https://soundcloud.com/foundlingmuseum/hogarth-and-the-art-of-noise">You can access the entire 12:12 long track of the exhibit here.</a> Feel free to listen along while viewing the images of the exhibit.<br />
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The Foundling Museum, located a few blocks east of the Russell Square tube station in London, preserves the memory of one of the earliest and best kept European orphanages. Today, the building is used exclusively as a museum, with a large collection of eighteenth-century art and material objects.<br />
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One of the centerpieces of the collection is the famous Hogarth painting, <i>The March of the Guards to Finchley.</i> Last summer, I was fortunate enough to be in London while the Foundling Museum was highlighting this part of its collection with a special exhibit. Specifically, the museum attempted to replicate the soundscape of Hogarth's painting. As a result, the basement of the museum was given over to a special exhibit on the sounds of London and the military world of the Jacobite Rebellion in the eighteenth century.<br />
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The special exhibit consisted of a number of panels and alcoves with reproduce eighteenth-century documents and images, usually with headphones for listening to pieces of reproduced music. Front plates from period works were also reproduced.</div>
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With that said, the centerpiece of the exhibit was <i>The March of the Guards to Finchley</i> itself,and the soundscape produced to accompany it. A long cushioned bench was helpfully provided for patrons to sit and listen to the entirety of the soundscape. </div>
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The brief selection of below can help give a feel for the experience of the entire soundscape. </div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/snpLG4xXJf4/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/snpLG4xXJf4?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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The exhibit made clever use of the limited space that was available for it, and allowed patrons sufficient time to experience the entire soundscape without being rushed. All in all, the exhibit firmly rested on its use of <i>The March of the Guards, </i>and managed to use the painting in a highly effective and innovated manner. I'll leave you with some close-up shots of the painting. </div>
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Alex Burns</div>
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<br />Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-31037601741285528932020-07-07T11:49:00.000-04:002020-07-07T11:49:21.200-04:00Russian Soldiers on American Soil? Catherine the Great, George III, and the American Revolution<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Russians troops, 1770s</span><br style="font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">image graciously provided by Артур Юшкевич</span></td></tr>
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Dear Reader,<br />
<br />
Today, we are going to examine a subject which may be familiar to some of you, but I hope to explore the topic with a source base that will be new for many of you. The apocalyptic vision of Russian troops invading the United States became increasingly common during the Cold War, and has carried on into the post-Cold War era through the medium of video games like <i>Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. </i>The most famous example of this trend is perhaps the 1984 film, <i>Red Dawn. </i><br />
The American fear of invasion by Russian troops existed long before the twentieth century, however. During the American War of Independence, many Americans feared that the Tsarina of Russia, Catherine II "the Great", would send troops to support the British during the War of Independence.<br />
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This possibility, both eagerly anticipated by British officers, and feared by the American people, has been addressed by a number of diplomatic historians, going all the way back to Frank A. Golder's 1915 treatment of the subject, "Catherine the Great and the American Revolution" in the <i>American Historical Review</i>. The best book in English on this subject is doubtlessly still Normal Saul's <i>Distant Friends: The United States and Russia, 1763-1867.</i> More recently, <a href="http://catherine%20ii.%20and%20the%20american%20revolution%2C%22%20the%20american%20historical%20review/">Norman Desmarais has covered the topic</a> via published writings by British officers, as well as tracking down newspaper reports of Russian involvement throughout the war. This is a post about an agreement between two countries that was never reached: in the words of Norman Saul, "Russians would not be Hessians." For first making me aware of this incident, and all of his incredible assistance during my MA studies, I would like to thank Prof. Dr. Sergei Zhuk, of Ball State University, who was gracious enough to work with a student who was interested in the Hessians.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Court Portrait of Sir Robert Gunning</td></tr>
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On the 7th of August, 1775, the British Ambassador at the Russian Court, Sir Robert Gunning, received a letter from Henry Howard, the 12th Earl of Suffolk. Suffolk, a highly placed minister in Lord North's government, who eventually secured the use of Hessian and Hanoverian forces for the British Crown, wrote to Gunning, the Ambassador in Russian, confidentially asking him to put out feelers regarding obtaining Russian troops for British use in North America. In his cyphered reply to Suffolk, on the 8th of August, 1775, Gunning spoke of the "delicate and difficult commission" which the government had charged him, namely, obtaining, "a Body of Her Imperial Majesty's Infantry[.]"[1]<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAiGErz23i57QukrGztlkkmb3uoQWz1k7ruQCalS1oCUVP1ID8qT5FwhJdo2f5XwmPB3bQnP8BqultEGMES7YggFpCr-ChmqQcc4yp8HQ9Amuy44aS6vxNUgWBylzhTXmSYQf2hPfooa4/s1600/800px-Sir_Joshua_Reynolds_-_Portrait_of_Henry_Howard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="976" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAiGErz23i57QukrGztlkkmb3uoQWz1k7ruQCalS1oCUVP1ID8qT5FwhJdo2f5XwmPB3bQnP8BqultEGMES7YggFpCr-ChmqQcc4yp8HQ9Amuy44aS6vxNUgWBylzhTXmSYQf2hPfooa4/s400/800px-Sir_Joshua_Reynolds_-_Portrait_of_Henry_Howard.jpg" width="327" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henry Howard, 12th Earl of Suffolk</td></tr>
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Almost immediately in this process, Gunning appeared to hedge his bets in his letters back to his handler in London: he carefully explained that he needed to bring this topic of conversation up organically with the Empress herself, or with her minister Nikita Ivanonvich Panin. He planned to wait for the Empress to make one of her "numberless assurances [that] she has formerly given me of Her wishes to have any opportunity of serving the King (George III)."[2] This type of assurance was normally given in the course of diplomatic niceties at court, and can be understood as the equivalent of the modern English nicety, 'let us know if you need anything.' In a difficult situation, Gunning planned to follow-up this nicety with, 'actually, your Imperial Majesty, we need about 20,000 troops for service in North America.'<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Nikita Ivanonvich Panin</span></span></td></tr>
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By the 8th of September, Suffolk had replied to Gunning, indicating that he should be prepared to offer the Russian Empress a subsidy treaty in exchange for use of this "body of troops", but that "it is more profitable," for Gunning to pursue, "the same line of sentiment on which she [Empress Catherine] has thus far proceeded; she may think a treaty unncessary and lend the assistance required without any formal obligation whatever."[3] Acknowledging that this level of generosity seemed unlikely, Suffolk continued, "That you however may be prepared for every possible contingency, His Majesty commands me to inform you that the proposal of a Subsidy is not to frustrate the negotiations."[4]<br />
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Helpfully, Suffolk drew up a draft of a subsidy treaty, leaving key areas, such as numbers of troops committed, blank, so that Gunning would have something tangible to present the Russian Empress. This treaty, written in French, contained the following points:<br />
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1. George III would secure a body of troops for service, the exact number of troops left blank, they would be officered by Russians.<br />
2. The troops would be picked up by British transports from various seaports on the 25th of March, 1776.<br />
3. The troops would be reviewed before embarkation by an English commissioner, who would administer an oath of loyalty to George III, which the treaty was careful to note, "of course, this will not supersede their oath of Loyalty taken to the Her Majesty the Empress of all the Russians."[5]<br />
4.The British crown would provide two battalion guns (light cannon) to each battalion serving in this manner, and also provide the necessary men for crewing these pieces.<br />
5. Having taken the oath of Loyalty on March 25th, they would for all intents and purposes be British National Troops, receiving pay at the same rate as their British counterparts.<br />
6. Should these battalions be damaged or destroyed while in British service, the British crown would pay for the cost of re-raising the troops, and return them into Russian service in the same condition that they were received.<br />
7. The troops will serve for the duration of the treaty, the British crown would give a three-month warning when the treaty was to be dissolved, and send the troops back to Russian with two months pay for their travel costs.<br />
8. Should hostilities break out in Russia, the troops would be returned immediately with the same arrangement for back pay, and in addition the British government would transport them free of charge.<br />
9. The treaty would last for two years with the possibility of renewal.<br />
10. The Russians have ten weeks from the British signature to ratify the treaty.[6]</blockquote>
Having drafted the treaty, Suffolk felt the need to clarify points in his following letters to Gunning, instructing him, "have it fully understood that the supreme command is to be with General Carlton, or Genl. Howe, or whoever may be the British commander in chief in the District where the Russians are to act[.]"[7] Suffolk continued, "I must again remind you of the great importance of bringing this matter to an immediate Decision so as the Account of it may arrive on or before the 24th of October."[8]<br />
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On the September 11th, 1775, Gunning reported to Suffolk a conversation with Catherine II, where she had asked the British Ambassador "whether any progress had been made in settling disputes in America."[9] Before Gunning could reply, the Empress continued, "for God's sake, put an End to it as soon as possible, and do not confine yourself to one Method of accomplishing this desirable End there are various means of doing it, and they ought all to be tried."[10]<br />
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Tragically for the British, Gunning was at this particular moment unaware of the drafted subsidy treaty, which had just been written three days earlier by Suffolk, and was still enroute to him. Only on October 1st did Gunning report back that the message had arrived to late, and the empress had departed for another country seat when the subsidy treaty arrived. Notwithstanding this setback, Gunning immediately approached Panin, "the next morning, and on account of the extreme Readiness and good Will which he had shewn in the Business hitherto, I was resolved to treat with him with all possible Openness."[11] Panin initially treated Gunning's request with favor: "Neither the number of troops nor the place of their destination seemed to strike him as exceptionable: he repeated to me that he saw it perfectly in the light I did, as a matter of Friendship between sovereign and sovereign."[12] Panin seemed to wholeheartedly support the plan, but Gunning related that his, "impatience to have the business communicated to the Empress was checked by my knowledge of the persons by whom she was then surrounded, Mons. Potemkin and the Tchernychevs."[13] Panin confirmed Gunning's suspicions that the idea might be shot down in the presence of this hostile party, and "was of the opinion that he ought himself to be the Bearer of His Majesty's Letter to the Empress."[14]<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Count Osterman</td></tr>
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Gunning next approached Count Ivan Andreyevich Osterman, and received a cooler response. Osterman, "asked me whether such an assistance would not alarm the other powers."[15] Gunning was unable to convince Osterman of the feasibility of the scheme. When Gunning had the opportunity to speak to Panin once again, "the less positive manner in which he expressed his hopes of the success of my application made me very much apprehensive that Count Osterman's ideas of the difficulty of the business had infected him."[16] That was Wednesday. By Friday, at 5pm, Panin relayed to Gunning that the Empress,<br />
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"shewed much repugnance to the [idea of] having her troops employed in America, where they could have no communication with this country; and that the number requested was so great that she did not think it was possible to grant them in the present state of her forces, wasted as they were by the length of hte late war; as well as on account of the unsettled state of Poland and the uncertainty of that of Sweden[.]... She had asked whether it was not possible for Her to assisted Us in any other Manner than by sending Her troops out of Europe?"[17]</blockquote>
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Panin, in passing, added to Gunning, "could not His Majesty make use of Hanoverians?"[18] At this point, Gunning resorted to begging, pleading, and that most unhelpful of suggestions, 'we could have assisted the Turks in the late war.' Gunning then attempted to negotiate for a smaller body of troops, reducing his request to 15,000 men. Panin was noncommittal, and Gunning concluded, "I can scarcely entertain any Hopes at present that Her Imperial Majesty will be prevailed upon to send Troops to America[.]"[19]<br />
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Finally, Catherine II sent a lengthy letter to George III via Gunning. Despite a warm and effusive opening, Catherine indicated that, "your minister explains and desires a body of twenty thousand men from my troops be transported to Canada next spring, I cannot hide from your Majesty that such aid with such a destination not only sits ill with me, but also exceeds the limits of my powers to oblige."[] She continued, "Nor can I stop thinking about what should have resulted for Our own dignity, if two monarchies and two nations had thus joined of our forces simply to calm a rebellion."[20]<br />
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In summary, though Gunning and Suffolk worked at some length to obtain a body of Russian subsidy troops, the opinions of Count Osterman and other prominent members of the Russian Court intervened to prevent Russian soldiers from intervening on the British side of the American War of Independence.<br />
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Now, we turn to that most dangerous of historical enterprises: the counterfactual hypothesis. What would have occurred if Tsarina and her ministers had been disposed to accept the subsidy treaty with the government of George III? Obviously, take what follows with a giant helping of salt.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQpYrOD1hOP_-uYcn6S5MyB6Tf5VjrPKeFZI1MpwjhyXkCCWdXFFmywSDJi89Xr5m2Tjb00xgxJp4S_W1m8nGYlU22vwZnOcqHDT25bOidSFVo08owUvFrXywA5ILeH1fS8t4UVCtK1E/s1600/97215713_299428077732319_4815938282019880960_n+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQpYrOD1hOP_-uYcn6S5MyB6Tf5VjrPKeFZI1MpwjhyXkCCWdXFFmywSDJi89Xr5m2Tjb00xgxJp4S_W1m8nGYlU22vwZnOcqHDT25bOidSFVo08owUvFrXywA5ILeH1fS8t4UVCtK1E/s400/97215713_299428077732319_4815938282019880960_n+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Period drawing of Russian Troops, 18th Century<br />Unknown artist, oil on canvas, image graciously provided by Артур Юшкевич<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Assuming all went well with the inspection and embarkation of troops on March 25th, the Russian force of 20,000 men would have been available for the New York offensive, and could have arrived off Long Island with the rest of Howe's forces by the end of June. Uniformed in their red summer jackets the Russians would have fit in quite well with the British forces. There is little doubt that they would have performed as effectively as the Hessians did in the late summer and fall campaign across New York in 1776. As the year drew to a close, gaining a similar amount of ground, Howe would likely have dispersed his men into garrisons, and placed 1,500 men under the command of Major General Alexander Suvorov in the area around Trenton. Following established Russian doctrine, Suvorov followed his subordinates' suggestion to place redoubts around key positions at Trenton. When the American attack came on December 26th, 1776, the Russians where still operationally surprised, but doggedly held out in their defensive positions, suffering numerous casualties, but rebuffing Washington's surprise counterattack. With the final failure of this gamble, American resistance continued, but the war ended in a negotiated settlement with most of the thirteenth colonies returning to British rule. Perhaps a bit too, "on the nose," but you get the point.<br />
<br />
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
[1] Robert Gunning to Earl of Suffolk, August 8th 1775, TNA UK, SP 91 Russia, Vol 99, 44,46.<br />
[2] Ibid, 45.<br />
[3]Suffolk to Gunning, 8th September 1775, TNA UK, SP 91 Russia, Vol 99, 59-60.<br />
[4] Ibid<br />
[5] Draft of Subsidy Treaty, TNA UK SP 91 Russia, Vol 99, 63.<br />
[6] Ibid, 62-65.<br />
[7] Suffolk to Gunning, 11th September 1775, TNA UK SP 91 Russia, Vol 99, 72.<br />
[8] Ibid<br />
[9]Gunning to Suffolk, 11th September 1775, TNA UK SP 91 Russia, Vol 99, 99-100.<br />
[10]Ibid.<br />
[11] Gunning to Suffolk, 1st October, 1775, TNA UK SP 91 Russia, Vol 99, 109.<br />
[12] Ibid, 110.<br />
[13] Ibid.<br />
[14] Ibid, 111.<br />
[15] Ibid.<br />
[16] Ibid, 112.<br />
[17] Ibid, 113.<br />
[18] Ibid, 114.<br />
[19] Catherine II to George III, 7th October 1775, TNA UK SP 91 Russia, Vol 99, 128.<br />
[20] Ibid, 129.Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-44524734489293844582020-06-17T16:39:00.001-04:002020-06-17T16:54:26.103-04:00SYW Wargame Campaign Report: Week 8<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJpAfvPlvT9GixT_rbkbYgfMIokLstBNk5g_Z6vO6bJ81R0srVfIm0u6ClWzaCx_QJ1nFx-ppP5JcYcJ_Ya6Fb3wu25HFMJv7nYw-OniydaagKlAWP8RO2VkOLkGTMA1qa1T8hyphenhyphenXXw8w/s1600/Week+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="754" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJpAfvPlvT9GixT_rbkbYgfMIokLstBNk5g_Z6vO6bJ81R0srVfIm0u6ClWzaCx_QJ1nFx-ppP5JcYcJ_Ya6Fb3wu25HFMJv7nYw-OniydaagKlAWP8RO2VkOLkGTMA1qa1T8hyphenhyphenXXw8w/s400/Week+8.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">General Tchernychev attempts to escape from General Huelsen's forces</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Dear Reader,<br />
<br />
Today, I am reporting on the eighth week of the Seven Years War Campaign which I have been umpiring over the last two months. You can find links to previous weeks at the bottom of the post. Beginning in the middle of March, the campaign is ongoing and still in progress. The period of time for today's post is roughly May 6th to May 13th. Below is a map for those dates. As stated before, the campaign switched to a new map to allow for in the inclusion of a few more players.This week's report only includes the new map.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgounuSWAnVWhuRFEiys_lKp_PZLakb6WsTug3cNIW8qDc3dDHcy0Rlciv4rsKKl_4AUVShkLTOgbo6Grk0XZyTcJVK0Ge4I9w9Lr-7eiGB93aQrQQysGYKL-UDpwTGOJv-4KSDot9BrQ8/s1600/104930660_2425095174259918_2794780831397847062_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgounuSWAnVWhuRFEiys_lKp_PZLakb6WsTug3cNIW8qDc3dDHcy0Rlciv4rsKKl_4AUVShkLTOgbo6Grk0XZyTcJVK0Ge4I9w9Lr-7eiGB93aQrQQysGYKL-UDpwTGOJv-4KSDot9BrQ8/s400/104930660_2425095174259918_2794780831397847062_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swedes (Black) Prussians (Blue) Russians (Green) Austrians (Red)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In the far north, the Prussians and Swedes sat inactive before Stralsund, with both forces believing that the enemy was too strong to engage. The Prussian force mainly consisted of hastily raised Kurmarkisch and Pommeranian Land Militia, but the Swedes were not tempted to engage, and both sides spend the week quietly at Stralsund. We move now to the incredibly busy Russian theater of war.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvZNzo9DvpoukUIRMRqq_jevm0zQnavl6TLUugo6_5TNZzNlqH_fIG6P7Ou2UyB0eZSeOP_Jhdylg6vi3Ol1AkXnM4iHjH-eRACt255fahoVTyOaxq_ptVINcSwv3xlt-aFxKPYdCNl4/s1600/104255107_308687773645825_8112970843479467748_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvZNzo9DvpoukUIRMRqq_jevm0zQnavl6TLUugo6_5TNZzNlqH_fIG6P7Ou2UyB0eZSeOP_Jhdylg6vi3Ol1AkXnM4iHjH-eRACt255fahoVTyOaxq_ptVINcSwv3xlt-aFxKPYdCNl4/s400/104255107_308687773645825_8112970843479467748_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Russian Theater, May 6th-13th</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
General Tchernychev, leaving the environs of Berlin after his eventful raid, moved north towards the Oder crossing at Freyemwalde, found that the crossing was occupied by troops under General J.D. von Huelsen. Huelsen, moving to block all crossings, and pursuing Tchernychev, placed the Russian in a difficult position. Ordering his men to dragoon Prussian prisoners willing to join the Russian Army, and shoot the rest, Tchernychev calmly watched as his forces shot 1,200 men into a shallow grave, and took the remaining 300 as recruits. Psychotically muttering, "this is for Dresden, you Brandenburger <i>козлы</i>" Tchernychev also burned the loot taken from San Souci, and shot the three beloved whippets confiscated from Frederick II's palace. This raised a number of eyebrows from other players. (Thanks to Dr. Mikaberidze for correcting the gender of this insult).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUpuIOSOASFbhiSfbPujBk3OIypfYB9f7gaOlIMVvj414JBX1fGsMCETarfNJjRF3l-4NoAySi43TfnK1VXtj3Qn8gdD7XEa7dVRqiyzAQQ_vbVhPDHJP9tzBladxK1AG5qotR1wFKAc/s1600/103650800_1234853426856435_4427454817408472109_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUpuIOSOASFbhiSfbPujBk3OIypfYB9f7gaOlIMVvj414JBX1fGsMCETarfNJjRF3l-4NoAySi43TfnK1VXtj3Qn8gdD7XEa7dVRqiyzAQQ_vbVhPDHJP9tzBladxK1AG5qotR1wFKAc/s320/103650800_1234853426856435_4427454817408472109_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tchernychev and Company Swim the Oder</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Tchernychev's wild ride was cut short when he and his raiders attempted to swim the Oder on May 9th . Reaching the far side, Tchernychev found Huelsen's dragoons waiting for him. Engaging the enemy, most of Tchernychev's forces managed to evade capture, but approximately 1500 of his men, and Tchernychev himself, were captured by the Prussians in the course of the fight. What horrors awaited him in captivity.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6GMMRMKmb2ZVTc0kmAKBx0gEbdTsqyNCudPG63zcZGyc0qNRwjR_80up9b8mGmK83P8_cFZHDEZXcz6SK-4SPqEXdh96r_F6F2lmeXatWj8gBE5Wd80u3RFabsNMZAqrRjkmvNLQCfU/s1600/83003592_957628674682779_7307058393443832018_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="767" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6GMMRMKmb2ZVTc0kmAKBx0gEbdTsqyNCudPG63zcZGyc0qNRwjR_80up9b8mGmK83P8_cFZHDEZXcz6SK-4SPqEXdh96r_F6F2lmeXatWj8gBE5Wd80u3RFabsNMZAqrRjkmvNLQCfU/s400/83003592_957628674682779_7307058393443832018_n.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">General Butulrin's plan for breaking out of the Meseritz deadlock</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
By far, the most active theater of war in this week was the Prussian/Russian Oder theater, where after weeks of inactivity, in which both sides successfully deceived the enemy as to their strengths, the Russians brought considerable forces to bear. General Buturlin, hoping to break the deadlock in a campaign of maneuver, ordered General Totleben to follow the red path on the map above, hoping keep the Prussians at Paradies in the dark regarding his movement as long as possible.<br />
<br />
Although Totleben and Buturlin's plan was sound, the wily Zieten received word that the enemy had outflanked him as Totleben's force reached Koepnitz, and Zieten immediately began a full retreat towards Crossen, having already detailed forces to guard the Tschicherzig bridge over the Oder.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpWyhHCNRCZ9-QdKEIAerhBFGZz8Y27BmNfkmzrBG4ZQ3m9ErmBZq-ypS3vCRtGfq2D0E3OW2ehSwStvLUbDVhruCGajn7LXsFGD0DcRPOLBc7Ali7EgaPdDi7rxf-0NJhdMihGw-LOw/s1600/unnamed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1266" data-original-width="1404" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpWyhHCNRCZ9-QdKEIAerhBFGZz8Y27BmNfkmzrBG4ZQ3m9ErmBZq-ypS3vCRtGfq2D0E3OW2ehSwStvLUbDVhruCGajn7LXsFGD0DcRPOLBc7Ali7EgaPdDi7rxf-0NJhdMihGw-LOw/s400/unnamed.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buturlin's campaign plan for this week</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Buturlin planned Totleben's offensive as part of a wider strategic movement, in which all parts of the Russian force would cross the Oder, and deal with the Prussian defenses there. This plan quickly became confused. General Rumyantsev (Purple), finding the enemy holding the position at Crossen, diverted to Fuerstenberg, and started work on a bridge there. General Totleben (Red), finding enemy forces guarding his designated crossing, began work on a bridge south of Leutersdorf. The Russian offensive was further hampered by Prussian raiding parties send into the rear areas of the Russian Army, which began to interrupt supply chains, and most importantly, General Saltykov (Green) was severely threatened on May 13th, when Prussian forces seized the supply base at Landsberg, and General Huelsen's Army moved to confront Saltykov's force, bridging the Oder at Bruch. Buturlin's own force decided to bridge the Oder at Goeritz, and hearing of Saltykov's danger, moved to support that force at Bruch on May 13th.<br />
<br />
The Russian campaign plan had been severely hampered by Prussian commanders operating independently, and whose forces, though they were unaware of the overall strategic picture, decisively took independent action. The Russian difficulties would only multiply in the following week.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_X3G-8_M-AIJX5aMrmjMvtT5OGZJqQXXC-Q1_Yjjw1uzbuk3gDP_l_md3WnQc-OtKuHv6pjKkObHJ9Ue6CT2hXJNUwZW1ncTtmUyFwaqQl2iC_d4Imnui5LF68fiz9m4sezDPmr394Hk/s1600/104949921_624182721787451_5917106037745407297_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_X3G-8_M-AIJX5aMrmjMvtT5OGZJqQXXC-Q1_Yjjw1uzbuk3gDP_l_md3WnQc-OtKuHv6pjKkObHJ9Ue6CT2hXJNUwZW1ncTtmUyFwaqQl2iC_d4Imnui5LF68fiz9m4sezDPmr394Hk/s400/104949921_624182721787451_5917106037745407297_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Silesian Theater, May 6th-13th</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In Saxony, FM Keith and Gen d' Kav Serbelloni, still recovering from the Battle of Torgau in the previous week, maneuvered cautiously, attempting to lay cities under contribution for the war effort, in order to recruit reinforcements.<br />
<br />
The Silesian theater remained quiet. Somewhat disorganized by the King of Prussia's passage through the theater, the Austrians diverted forces to Königgrätz and Olmütz in order to deal with raiding forces that the Prussians sprinkled throughout the region. FM Neipperg, in a farsighted move, ordered his army at Königgrätz to begin fortifying the city. Though expensive in time and resources, this was a sound strategic decision. FM Daun, likewise, resumed the siege of Glatz.<br />
<br />
Content to let the Austrians depart, the Duke of Bevern moved his force to cover Schweidnitz, while the King of Prussia began moving northward from Breslau on May 7th, with the goal of linking up with the Army of Zieten. By the 13th, the King was nearing Glogau. The stage was set for the a decisive campaign against the Russian forces.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/04/syw-wargame-campaign-report-background.html">Background and Week 1</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/04/syw-campaign-report-week-2.html">Week 2</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/">Week 3</a><br />
<br />
<span id="goog_581015456"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_581015457"></span><a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/05/syw-wargame-campaign-report-week-4.html">Week 4</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/05/syw-wargame-campaign-report-week-5.html">Week 5</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/05/syw-wargame-campaign-report-week-6.html">Week 6</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/06/syw-wargame-campaign-report-week-7.html">Week 7</a><br />
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Alex Burns</div>
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Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-28596167971427382292020-06-03T11:45:00.000-04:002020-06-17T16:41:46.814-04:00SYW Wargame Campaign Report: Week 7<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgke2kF2ey_EiCvgOZJ2tEVhBOyZlkiZe1wQqVVKnqw-VZgEKfXOfiARspO42lnbjOWiuxNVcYZ7u2HK787NFRWoEZUvNMDB6rM_wQk9o299UqSbYWhiCS1EC_kiByhVFoXqokxkPruAck/s1600/78100619_264754008268964_7096026292209844224_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgke2kF2ey_EiCvgOZJ2tEVhBOyZlkiZe1wQqVVKnqw-VZgEKfXOfiARspO42lnbjOWiuxNVcYZ7u2HK787NFRWoEZUvNMDB6rM_wQk9o299UqSbYWhiCS1EC_kiByhVFoXqokxkPruAck/s400/78100619_264754008268964_7096026292209844224_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prussian troops approach Torgau from the South, under the command of the<br />
Prussian General Konstantin von Salenmon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Dear Reader,<br />
<br />
Today, I am reporting on the seventh week of the Seven Years War Campaign which I have been umpiring over the last two months. You can find links to previous weeks at the bottom of the post. Beginning in the middle of March, the campaign is ongoing and still in progress. The period of time for today's post is roughly April 29th to May 5th. Below is a map for those dates. As stated before, the campaign switched to a new map to allow for in the inclusion of a few more players. I have first included the new map, followed by an update from the old map.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5l437CN9YwQvSOVCSZ3iMj9aihaVsikVA9WHT3lJOGw__lsHl2N1FcvcTKjz1WcI7QBparxnu9Qi9ZT8Cin7CshceYT-BnUoXWbWQ-L0I96P2CCXV5oIk1_D1wDbW40xciOOs8VdR4tU/s1600/Week+7+Full+Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="856" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5l437CN9YwQvSOVCSZ3iMj9aihaVsikVA9WHT3lJOGw__lsHl2N1FcvcTKjz1WcI7QBparxnu9Qi9ZT8Cin7CshceYT-BnUoXWbWQ-L0I96P2CCXV5oIk1_D1wDbW40xciOOs8VdR4tU/s400/Week+7+Full+Map.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new map showing the maneuvering in Brandenburg, Saxony, and Silesia<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEaJoAw3Q320yJHCTmqwqU9dcaCXqD6TaH3dZJPPUtbuHu1aXbSzW6wCja2XmHLFWH_KNgXm7uF-1IkZQPBaI7mV2DM1vKHQi7LpLWRjGhCcyZEHRUAVfIQIRDApfgHQLCzaQYSY-f9Q/s1600/Week+7+Silesia+Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="715" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEaJoAw3Q320yJHCTmqwqU9dcaCXqD6TaH3dZJPPUtbuHu1aXbSzW6wCja2XmHLFWH_KNgXm7uF-1IkZQPBaI7mV2DM1vKHQi7LpLWRjGhCcyZEHRUAVfIQIRDApfgHQLCzaQYSY-f9Q/s400/Week+7+Silesia+Map.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old map showing the maneuvering in just Silesia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In general terms, as usual, we will proceed from north to south. In the Pomeranian theater of war, the Swedish General Hamilton had retreated to Stralsund, where he remained blockaded by the Prussian forces of Dohna and Manteuffel. In Brandenburg, the Russians were threatened by the forces under Zieten, the Hussar King, who attempted to make his small force of ~25,000 appear more numerous in the face of ~35,000 Russians at Meseritz. Zieten is the sort of player who attempts play to the max: he leaves no avenue unexplored. Ordering his men to set up their blankets to appear like more tents (an order which met with some grumbling on the part of the gemeine soldaten) he put on a bold show that his army was twice as numerous as it appeared.<br />
<br />
This type of scheme would normally be hopeless, but events conspired to make Zieten's ruse more believable: the Russian General Tchernychev, who had departed on a mission to raid military targets in the area, sent back an undated message that Zieten's force was moving to Meseritz. This message made the Russian commander in chief, Buturlin, believe that <b>another </b>25k men had crossed the Oder in his front. This message, combined with the arrival of a small Prussian column of reinforcements, added weight to an otherwise flimsy ruse. The tense standoff at Meseritz continued for the week, the Prussians could not believe their luck.<br />
<br />
Speaking of General Tchernychev: let us turn to his dramatic role this week. Having departed from Schwibus and crossed the unguarded bridge at Crossen (come on, Prussians), Tchernychev received a non-committal order from Buturlin to return to the Meseritz area if possible, Tchernychev chose to ignore this message: his moment of glory had come. He immediately headed for, in his words, "the ultimate prize": the area of Berlin.<br />
<br />
Reaching Berlin on the 4th of May, Tchernychev burned out a series of villages south of the city. Realizing that his force of 5,000 could not contend with the garrison of 7,000, he turned towards Potsdam. I will allow the report of Lt. General Hans Friedrich von Rochow, to convey the particulars:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Report on the Raid of Potsdam and Berlin, May 4-6th, 1758 </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Russian General Zahkar Tchernychev reached Berlin on the morning on May 4th. Having found the city possessed of a strong garrison, he departed south in the direction of Potsdam. His force, numbering 2,000 Dragoons and 3,000 Cossacks, burned the villages of Seglitz and Zehlendorf on May 4th. On May 5th, his troops moved southwest to Potsdam, fought against the Potsdam garrison and civic militia, defeating them soundly. His force then burned the city of Potsdam itself, and after looting Frederick’s palace at San Souci, burned that to the ground as well. Tchernychev and his men carried off everything of value from the palace, including 3 of Frederick’s prized whippet hounds. In the course of the looting and burning, Tchernychev’s cossacks committed numerous depredations, killing over 1,000 civilians. Leaving Potsdam the next day, May 6th, Tchernychev approached Charlottenburg palace, where he was confronted by the larger portion of the garrison, and as a result, he and his raiding force waived off, retreating to the northeast in the direction of Freyemwalde. Berlin, Spandau, and Charlottenburg are safe. Potsdam and San Souci have been badly damaged. The fire destroyed millions of Thaler’s worth of state and private property. Approximately half of Potsdam’s 25,000 inhabitants are now homeless. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Von Rochow </blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-1o6U83rp8Mj6okkBeqyJ79k9pXaI2BiwD-PlBpKp2RGF0okOhp85EsBcIzTERpdjhjhg1jUOVbdeT9z-_pj0x0RGBd0YXDizgCjUtVrFm2DGXVCskCartgEW1CWLLWARvocgc-6dDE/s1600/561758+Berlin+Raid+Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1280" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-1o6U83rp8Mj6okkBeqyJ79k9pXaI2BiwD-PlBpKp2RGF0okOhp85EsBcIzTERpdjhjhg1jUOVbdeT9z-_pj0x0RGBd0YXDizgCjUtVrFm2DGXVCskCartgEW1CWLLWARvocgc-6dDE/s400/561758+Berlin+Raid+Map.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charting Tchernychev's raid on Berlin, on a 1765 map of the city</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Tchernychev published his own justification for the raid:<br />
<br />
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="il">Brandenburgers</span>:</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Your unjust and destructive war has reaped what it has sown. The spoliation of Saxony visited by the "enlightened" Frederick has been repaid on his own palace at Potsdam. You may only expect further destruction if you continue to support him and to defy peace and the Imperial Ban. Should he abdicate in favor of his brother, who is a far more enlightened man, you will find much amity on the part of the beneficent Russian people. Choose wisely.</blockquote>
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Tchernychev </blockquote>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While this high drama was unfolding in the area of Berlin, FM Keith was fighting for his life in Saxony. Gen d' Kav Serbelloni, believing that might liberate Dresden by cutting Keith off from the Berlin approaches, marched his army to Torgau, where his army of 25,000 was met by a slightly smaller Prussian force under the noble Keith. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzVCCxIRdkfUnqxw55UOAzKV1L2oMgIwo_2_FN47ZHpalL9ArknlSkTofhesSrV-SslJulpSQjmaf3DGZIwKY8hPxw3KDfKu69Z_lOOA-oucUqKfjXlDrkAbIY5qipQzv8IDaiuLo3K0/s1600/Torgau+Master.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1021" data-original-width="1497" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzVCCxIRdkfUnqxw55UOAzKV1L2oMgIwo_2_FN47ZHpalL9ArknlSkTofhesSrV-SslJulpSQjmaf3DGZIwKY8hPxw3KDfKu69Z_lOOA-oucUqKfjXlDrkAbIY5qipQzv8IDaiuLo3K0/s400/Torgau+Master.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A early draft of this alternate timeline's Grosser Generalstab map series</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Keith launched his smaller force into an attack on the Reichsarmee forces under Serbelloni. Serbelloni's colonels deployed his forces on the crest of a ridge, just south of the villages of Sueptitz and Zinna. Serbelloni, believing that holding the villages as defensive positions was more vital, pulled his men back from the crest of the ridge, allowing the Prussians to maneuver with impunity. </div>
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFCISHn5zjbvZxaN7Re1qsat-3crfkvZpZlj1eut10vfKylGikPaoNVx5mR5ThpifshraRjJO8yXu1Zjn3jqcxmkaMJjQkO3zjhOIzK661wCBCF-_ks_0BOONSKxJE3Wb2kWfSDEGS6AU/s1600/102292904_583058752613227_230704610686271488_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFCISHn5zjbvZxaN7Re1qsat-3crfkvZpZlj1eut10vfKylGikPaoNVx5mR5ThpifshraRjJO8yXu1Zjn3jqcxmkaMJjQkO3zjhOIzK661wCBCF-_ks_0BOONSKxJE3Wb2kWfSDEGS6AU/s400/102292904_583058752613227_230704610686271488_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Torgau: the initial deployment after both commanders gave input </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
The Prussians opened a furious bombardment of the villages, which caught both of them on fire in due course (maybe Tchernychev is on to something, here).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00S1ZA996sLDpWYiWaqRa5qNvHXnJD7m6agzqF2zbbrHWnmh4r3b5gM7Y3mgTGnCGTMGcoXVZFSQaByN2NuVjKMMj8SyIxQMF0uuxPqTINhdrjHE1aJPqCJty9JL5sMOlfe7fsjdj_NE/s1600/101012300_291676008534245_5811778057924509696_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00S1ZA996sLDpWYiWaqRa5qNvHXnJD7m6agzqF2zbbrHWnmh4r3b5gM7Y3mgTGnCGTMGcoXVZFSQaByN2NuVjKMMj8SyIxQMF0uuxPqTINhdrjHE1aJPqCJty9JL5sMOlfe7fsjdj_NE/s400/101012300_291676008534245_5811778057924509696_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The Prussians moved up flanking forces on their right, in order to threaten the Reichsarmee left. Serbelloni moved the cavalry from from his right to his left in order to compensate.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkyBUhTAstMRINt37lvCeuM_OYLLiXIt7De8Lj0fwVoUv7HlgmNu6uZxMWkg3KipX4okBhzFWxSYrrL6APLiQDz3vH6bZDG6lcmhRFQZqGtcKxbcA2GTbILM7qFPGgP7o_O3sjUUT_eA/s1600/102263875_1153993344962431_2492913178829127680_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkyBUhTAstMRINt37lvCeuM_OYLLiXIt7De8Lj0fwVoUv7HlgmNu6uZxMWkg3KipX4okBhzFWxSYrrL6APLiQDz3vH6bZDG6lcmhRFQZqGtcKxbcA2GTbILM7qFPGgP7o_O3sjUUT_eA/s400/102263875_1153993344962431_2492913178829127680_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Prussians began a series of sledgehammer attacks on the Reichsarmee held village of Zinna, and pulled up their guns in something of an artillery charge, dueling at close ranger with Reichsarmee batteries. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9_XsBnUAxpspW9JbtWykJ-rYHVCFD3JilVUIe_cVfPOZCZg5x38hwjBJQkuHVUFSISrT-QhhDaMLxOA3-kmmqBpnUGogDlTX1sBPvy5ECWdeDN5CZAUOKzMPtS03F8pZkjOpu3iqzKI/s1600/101990267_942962372808725_4159185663033344000_n+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9_XsBnUAxpspW9JbtWykJ-rYHVCFD3JilVUIe_cVfPOZCZg5x38hwjBJQkuHVUFSISrT-QhhDaMLxOA3-kmmqBpnUGogDlTX1sBPvy5ECWdeDN5CZAUOKzMPtS03F8pZkjOpu3iqzKI/s400/101990267_942962372808725_4159185663033344000_n+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heavy fighting engulfs the Reichsarmee left<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With both villages in flames, and Prussians attempted to envelope his position, Serbelloni began to withdraw, and his cuirassiers broke through the enemy cavalry on their left, buying time for the army to safely withdraw from the action.<br />
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNS607iqvV704DqrnPa16D-bxV4PjwGhyaIDF-ppHbhL2xiIY9TlacI8usQZ4uqi6L_ceXREsT276tW6YvFRtewI-mySIODlM1etAOsgmCgoKwif3ovkN-IcLQ8OEUvY1Rdee3iP6rHw/s1600/100769773_281366936239620_4698183795025641472_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNS607iqvV704DqrnPa16D-bxV4PjwGhyaIDF-ppHbhL2xiIY9TlacI8usQZ4uqi6L_ceXREsT276tW6YvFRtewI-mySIODlM1etAOsgmCgoKwif3ovkN-IcLQ8OEUvY1Rdee3iP6rHw/s400/100769773_281366936239620_4698183795025641472_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The final view at Torgau: Austrian cavalry break through the Prussian right, <br />
sending infantry into a rarely-formed square.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Serbelloni withdrew in the direction of Dessau. All in all, this was one of the most closely-fought battles of the campaign, both sides suffered around 2,000 casualties. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Finally, on to the main event. When we last left the Silesia theater, the impetuous General Loudon had taken his army into the jaws of the King of Prussia. The Prussian host numbered around 60,000 men, the Austrians under Loudon numbered barely 30,000. Realizing his danger, Loudon left a rearguard and withdrew in the direction of Schweidnitz and the main army. These unfortunates were captured after defending a village outside Landshut. </div>
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrWma5hGpwmzNK7L9ehtp__mcDKc4aO7D-Nhr0VMuN267Q2IKvFfK6ZyKiqxsatGEvwX1ck7VIUz65LqHkDgc9hDvU8Y3q2yFaf41m4b3mji5YgCk2QMR4FhTFNCtULR4ESifEv0x6hw/s1600/100888352_259198455302925_2393014623231016960_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrWma5hGpwmzNK7L9ehtp__mcDKc4aO7D-Nhr0VMuN267Q2IKvFfK6ZyKiqxsatGEvwX1ck7VIUz65LqHkDgc9hDvU8Y3q2yFaf41m4b3mji5YgCk2QMR4FhTFNCtULR4ESifEv0x6hw/s400/100888352_259198455302925_2393014623231016960_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wooded mountainous bordlerlands around Landshut, <br />
the site of a fierce rearguard action by the Austirans</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
The sudden appearance of the King of Prussia send the Austrian High command into a frantic series of movements. Neipperg speedily moved his force towards Schweidnitz from Neisse. After snatching this rearguard at Landshut, the King of Prussia left his hussars and Frei Infanterie to harrass the enemy at Schweidnitz (with orders to follow him after one day) and then moved south towards Trautenau and Glatz. The Austrians, after beating off these light forces at Schweinitz, moved their forces to Frankenstein (Lacy abandoned the siege of Glatz after realizing that the enemy coming for him in force), and the Prussians marched via Reichenstein to Neisse, turning north towards Grotkau, and escaping the region by a movement towards Brieg and Breslau. The Austrians maneuvered to offer battle to the Prussian King several times, but he declined their invitation. </div>
<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvD54OE27uOnLRPSEDjlhkiH1GfTi1tYHGQnVsa_iWR5ZjXyyhWOLKDngNPvzrWk5wQwsTxhnvnbStcKDDyDauPOlwQt7NfONqx1aHd72_7ZXbEg2VssYiU1ZQzSUZ8SQyNXRpZmGlA6c/s1600/101654588_190906108805712_5281512582287458304_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvD54OE27uOnLRPSEDjlhkiH1GfTi1tYHGQnVsa_iWR5ZjXyyhWOLKDngNPvzrWk5wQwsTxhnvnbStcKDDyDauPOlwQt7NfONqx1aHd72_7ZXbEg2VssYiU1ZQzSUZ8SQyNXRpZmGlA6c/s400/101654588_190906108805712_5281512582287458304_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Skillfully detaching raiding forces, and using the Kosel garrison to threaten Austrian supply bases, the King of Prussia had conducted a lightning campaign which left the Austrians confused (or perhaps bemused) captured 9,000 prisoners for a loss of 2,500 of his own, and avoided any major battle. In doing so, the Prussians interrupted two major sieges (Glatz and Schweidnitz), removing the threat to Schweidnitz entirely. Despite all this, the Prussian King did not want to try results with the Austrians, and at the end of the movement, led his army north from Breslau. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The next week would see the Russians resume a major offensive on the Oder line, the Austrians begin a serious siege of Glatz, and move to clear lingering Prussian raiding forces from their supply areas, and a bloody conclusion to the drama of Tchernychev's raid on Berlin. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/04/syw-wargame-campaign-report-background.html">Background and Week 1</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/04/syw-campaign-report-week-2.html">Week 2</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/">Week 3</a><br />
<br />
<span id="goog_581015456"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_581015457"></span><a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/05/syw-wargame-campaign-report-week-4.html">Week 4</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/05/syw-wargame-campaign-report-week-5.html">Week 5</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/05/syw-wargame-campaign-report-week-6.html">Week 6</a><br />
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<div>
Thanks for Reading, </div>
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<div>
Alex Burns</div>
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Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-50192136636529723052020-05-28T11:30:00.000-04:002020-05-28T11:30:50.502-04:00"Tricorne Hat": How Accurate is this Term? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWksLoleojL2q5K3Pmool_4H_4QCPXj6AfPHB3mM0vFRf-WcNp3g4WflgL2CnZEFwwENtcy5sVHobWuLKonvKASwnGO5RfRaEc3NxpC4LWCBhldS9CQJgueVTUJLxx8bI0Zj8TFBKThA/s1600/A+Gaggle+of+Hats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="605" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWksLoleojL2q5K3Pmool_4H_4QCPXj6AfPHB3mM0vFRf-WcNp3g4WflgL2CnZEFwwENtcy5sVHobWuLKonvKASwnGO5RfRaEc3NxpC4LWCBhldS9CQJgueVTUJLxx8bI0Zj8TFBKThA/s400/A+Gaggle+of+Hats.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Gaggle of Hats</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Dear Reader,<br />
<br />
There is no more iconic symbol and image of the eighteenth century than the three-cornered, or Tricorne, hat. Americans imagine their founding fathers wearing such hats, it is the hat of Frederick and Catherine the Great, George II and III; it is the hat worn in the art of William Hogarth and David Morier. Today, the image of people wearing tricorne hats is utilized by historic sites, media companies, and football teams.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3dOh_b247ShOQKNXF6QzT9oBZ8LdZkCn_0E9J_991FLiPaIwXs8in8A31qzN5_B7iZz-Z8I8KEnt5B1BENWklwAFz3fTE0EvV-ykKW9At_KC5ZjtOrkZ6fiiSZpTUzZU_XeZHcERxAU/s1600/91183787_2502609123335574_6570410921829597184_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="476" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3dOh_b247ShOQKNXF6QzT9oBZ8LdZkCn_0E9J_991FLiPaIwXs8in8A31qzN5_B7iZz-Z8I8KEnt5B1BENWklwAFz3fTE0EvV-ykKW9At_KC5ZjtOrkZ6fiiSZpTUzZU_XeZHcERxAU/s400/91183787_2502609123335574_6570410921829597184_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of a portrait of Frederick II of Hesse-Cassel, (DHM)</td></tr>
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This post is not an effort to get into the various historic styles and designs of the so-called Tricorne hat. Skilled artisans such as M. Brenckle, Geo. Franks, and Andy Kirk have brought the reproduction of the cocked hat to an art form, and are highly familiar with the intricacies of shaping and cocking these hats. Once again, Matt Keagle's work is perhaps the best place to turn for the military material culture of the eighteenth century. These historians, artisans, and makers have provided many resources for those seeking to better understand this particular type of eighteenth-century hat. Rather, <b>this post is an effort to understand how a term which was not used in the eighteenth century, "tricorne hat" has overwhelmingly dominated our language, obscuring the original English-language term for this hat: "cocked hat." </b>Should we continue to use this term, if it was not employed by contemporaries? I'll first offer some reasons why the term could be replaced with more accurate language, and then provide a brief rejoinder in defense of the tricone.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHSkhKRb1YMD1AhtnmCdi2L8ONwbF87GesFg-DTtbiVxrHpvwRnfgYEI3hJjTeLIkUyaFU9FsGjWJCEFxf4pRetWvWzBMFAnA2Sm12Iv9bIyGRFE9vISRxDhz852mP4ZnE8XPvStRzUE/s1600/George+II+David+Morier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="805" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHSkhKRb1YMD1AhtnmCdi2L8ONwbF87GesFg-DTtbiVxrHpvwRnfgYEI3hJjTeLIkUyaFU9FsGjWJCEFxf4pRetWvWzBMFAnA2Sm12Iv9bIyGRFE9vISRxDhz852mP4ZnE8XPvStRzUE/s400/George+II+David+Morier.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George II by artist David Morier</td></tr>
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<b>1) The term "tricone hat" was not used in the eighteenth century. </b><br />
<b></b><br /><b></b>
The earliest English language usage of the term tricorne hat (and I am open to correction if you can date it earlier) appears to be in the mid-nineteenth century, with many examples from the 1860s and 1870s. In French and German, the term appears as early as the 1830s.[1] <b>So, if people living in the eighteenth century did not call these hats, "tricorne hats" what did they call them?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTIdZcgPR4y0pNEHDxB-K8NWe6dNMCGvtRJ6HBZop6vJqhm20vQqN7RrYkgpR6mFGJiIjs-_5xE8ecBMJnIbgNlYSV0Hec7q2eS2y55t31p2TyerGPuzcDPaVw7cLJmPCw4lEBZF-2yc/s1600/48748f1d0064b67d4b85867d4dc46646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="384" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTIdZcgPR4y0pNEHDxB-K8NWe6dNMCGvtRJ6HBZop6vJqhm20vQqN7RrYkgpR6mFGJiIjs-_5xE8ecBMJnIbgNlYSV0Hec7q2eS2y55t31p2TyerGPuzcDPaVw7cLJmPCw4lEBZF-2yc/s400/48748f1d0064b67d4b85867d4dc46646.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">P. J. de Loutherbourg simply used the term "hat" to describe this headgear</td></tr>
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<b><br /></b>
<br />
The eighteenth-century three-cornered hat, the "cocked hat", was ubiquitous across Europe. <b>Perhaps not surprisingly, many contemporaries simply called this design a "hat", as it was the most common form of male headwear across much of the eighteenth century. </b>Where more specialized terms existed, they usually described specific hat designs.<br />
<br />
Englishmen occasionally used the term, "three-cornered" when describing their hats in contrast to the hats of other cultures, but did not use the term tricorne.[2] Perhaps surprisingly to us, they used the term "three-cornered cap" more frequently than hat. By the end of the eighteenth century, the term, "three cornered hat" became more common, as contemporaries tried to distinguish this garment from other emerging sorts of headwear.[3]<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirH3s4n3wHP_HxdYQljml-KzNcZZXPHOFDtuKuEcjnYOh7l5wnopyIqXWq3wmKR3739cyFzY0OA_6Mb41toW9R2X9VPYv0PsUZ_QWxtrmXP2pecS2OBZ_W623oJHNgRWG1JGNBs7gcJWY/s1600/100616182_283236692719796_5028453405559881728_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirH3s4n3wHP_HxdYQljml-KzNcZZXPHOFDtuKuEcjnYOh7l5wnopyIqXWq3wmKR3739cyFzY0OA_6Mb41toW9R2X9VPYv0PsUZ_QWxtrmXP2pecS2OBZ_W623oJHNgRWG1JGNBs7gcJWY/s320/100616182_283236692719796_5028453405559881728_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">British Military-Style Cocked Hat, 1750s (M. Brenkle)</td></tr>
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<b>In English, the term "cocked hat" was used to refer to three pointed hats.</b> This term referred to their method of design: there were multiple ways of "cocking" a hat to produce a variety of different styles. Again, the most common term employed was simply "hat", but "cocked hat" was used when further explanation was required.[4] A dictionary of 1758 gives this entry for "Slouched: <i>As a slouched hat. </i>A Hat not cocked up."[5]<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>2) The modern term "tricorne hat" brings together a group of hats which contemporaries often viewed as distinct. </b><b> </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DR_2hdGwe_XkLgM32uL7cvfNafY7N-a0TUF_R8XtQ4-0ICq_7eDOforwP3XFIGYOAJff0umbnt0GvpDXkHgACmLdh3pts5lvgIgcJwXClc9VExMXs3Klcz92LzO012yRX1Eh9GMGu7g/s1600/100654677_250316016222358_8027004515687333888_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DR_2hdGwe_XkLgM32uL7cvfNafY7N-a0TUF_R8XtQ4-0ICq_7eDOforwP3XFIGYOAJff0umbnt0GvpDXkHgACmLdh3pts5lvgIgcJwXClc9VExMXs3Klcz92LzO012yRX1Eh9GMGu7g/s400/100654677_250316016222358_8027004515687333888_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reproduced Hat of the 8th Regiment of Foot (M. Brenkle)<br />This hat appears to be tending towards the Ramilies/<i>l'androsmane </i>style</td></tr>
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There was a great variety in the types of cocked hats worn in the eighteenth century, and these hats possessed different names across the continent. By the 1780s, for example, the various languages of Europe developed terms for styles of cocked hats. The Austrian military leader Ludwig Andreas von Khevenhüller was associated with a particular style, late in the century the French spoke of a "chapeau à l'androsmane," and the British talked of the Monmouth cock and Ramilies cock.[6] The English referred to the style of hat worn by the French ambassador as, "Nivernois" style, after the name of the ambassador.[7] A poem from 1756 indicated that "a fierce cock'd hat, and modish ramilie" was the necessary headgear of a young soldier.[8] Late in the century, a French style-tract commented: "The Englishmen may be represented with the Androsmane style of cock, with a massive black-ribbon cockade worn on the left side."[9]<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQUaz-BlMc_5i95ZBegZJry35OAskMlG_oZMaaZZCCJGhQYVdBmEWH2dvYUL-J1chXPSZ-ejsubHS17iTJbkKThIfs5niGuHEw6H-XP4VP1fIBfhoVnRNWJvf4SxAXfwhjiSxL_tJS0wE/s1600/Voelkertaefel+hats.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="467" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQUaz-BlMc_5i95ZBegZJry35OAskMlG_oZMaaZZCCJGhQYVdBmEWH2dvYUL-J1chXPSZ-ejsubHS17iTJbkKThIfs5niGuHEw6H-XP4VP1fIBfhoVnRNWJvf4SxAXfwhjiSxL_tJS0wE/s640/Voelkertaefel+hats.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A variety of hats are on display in the Voelkertaefel, from left:<br />French, Italian, German, English, and Swedish </td></tr>
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All this points to a wide variety of styles, which evolved across the European continent during the eighteenth century. Lumping these hats together as "tricorne" hats may be a useful shorthand in some cases, but often obscures the rich complexity present across the decades and locales of eighteenth century Europe.<br />
<br />
<b>3) The term "tricorne" is used as shorthand for hats between 1700 and 1800, making the eighteenth-century appear static and monolithic to the general public. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Much of the specialized language for cocked hats before 1780 was designed to differentiate various unique styles and cocks. Only at the end of the eighteenth century did the critics of tricorne hats begin to represent them as monolithic and similar.<b> </b>As it was a symbol of wealth and good standing, the popular mood began to turn against the three-cornered hat in the 1790s. An anonymous author wrote the following in <i>The New-York Weekly Magazine</i>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Among the many things invented by man for his use, none perhaps is more ridiculous than the three-cornered hat at present used by some persons. That it affords but an inconsiderable shelter to the head, is a truth scarcely to be denied; and that the face of him who wears it remains exposed to the piercing rays of the sun, is equally true. If our ancestors deemed it a conveniency to wear the hats in question, experience teaches us at the present day, their great inutility: And shall we then willing smile on those customs which (tho' formerly practiced) proves at present highly injurious? No; Let us cosult our own feelings, and not the habits of former times.-- Common sense points out their inconsistency, and reason mocks the stupidity of him who madly submits to be ruled by custom, that tyrant of the human mind, to whose government three-fourths of this creation foolishly subscribe their assent. Again, the weight which is comprised in a hat of that size, is a sufficient argument for their abolition. Wherein then can the utility of such an unwieldy machine consist? Is not the round hat more becoming? And does it not finally prove to the head by far the best covering? The contrary cannot be urged unless through prejudice or selfishness. That it looks respectable and sacred, may be urged in favour of it; to this I reply, that if to be impudent constitutes either of those characters, the three cornered hat has the great good fortune to be superior to the other. It may be further advanced in its favour, that by letting down its brings it will answer the purpose of an umbrella in a hot summer day: ture that for size it may, but where is the person that would not rather make use of the real than the fictitious machine? Why was the pains taken for the invention of an umbrella, if the hat could be made to answer the same views? Was it not because the hat attracting the rays of the sun, was found to be injurious to the eyes, and therefore recourse was had to a machine which proved not only shelter from the sun, but to the eyes far more beneficial. To conclude, nothing but a <i>false pride, </i>and a desire to be <i>conspicuous,</i> could ever induce a person thus inconsistently to use that which will finally prove his folly. -- TRYUNCULUS, New-York, July 7, 1796.[10] </blockquote>
Just as the revolutionaries toppled the monarchies of Europe, the great push to end social deference finally destroyed the three-cornered hat.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0yZUb190P6luAYCT8Rb4TL5zrQqFgindYJg2XSMaGid5MBFI0_v_bBLwsADJV45XsgRJZgPi7aLuCb1rds6PPIaacrkXEcFuz-FJVfAALImJ6WuioDfSA5ylM6IVH4KfpJby9Wv1ZXq8/s1600/14107842_1174148242607142_3966296063443743252_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="517" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0yZUb190P6luAYCT8Rb4TL5zrQqFgindYJg2XSMaGid5MBFI0_v_bBLwsADJV45XsgRJZgPi7aLuCb1rds6PPIaacrkXEcFuz-FJVfAALImJ6WuioDfSA5ylM6IVH4KfpJby9Wv1ZXq8/s320/14107842_1174148242607142_3966296063443743252_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">recreated American cocked hats</td></tr>
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<b>Proponents of the term tricorne might offer some reasons for the terms continued usage.</b> First of all, it is certainly an iconic term, which immediately connects to a wide audience. This is perhaps the best argument for continued usage of the term. Second, the term tricorne hat is a vivid linguistic descriptor: the meaning is instantly clear. The term "cocked hat" could bring a variety of images into one's mind, tricone, or three-cornered hat brings the meaning clearly into view. This isn't a fire-proof reason for employing the term, after all, it would be more linguistically descriptive to call 20th-century military tanks, "roller-shooters". Regardless, I am confident that the term "tricorne" will be used to refer to these hats for a long time to come.<br />
<br />
The cocked hat is an iconic symbol of a fascinating historical era. Regardless of what you choose to call this hat, I hope this post has providing some thoughts on the precision of language when it comes to historical objects, and how terms which are completely ubiquitous today may not reflect the terminology contemporaries used to describe these objects.<br />
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Thanks for Reading, </div>
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Alex Burns<br />
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[1] Anon, <i>Archives historiques et littéraires du Nord de la France </i>(Vol III, 1833) 45. Anon, <i>Das Ausland: Eine Wochenschrift für Kunde, </i>(Vol 6, 1833), 965.<br />
[2]See, Mortimer Harley, <i>The Harleian Miscellany, </i>(1745) 555; Robert Ainsworth, <i>Thesairis Linguae Latinae Compendiarius, </i>(1752), 113; John Henry Grose, <i>A Voyage to the East Indies, </i>(1757), 274; <br />
[3]See Tobias Smolett, <i>The Critical Review, </i>(1796), 406; Voltaire, <i>The History of Candide, Translated from the French</i> (1796), 42; Anon, "On the Three-Cornered Hat" <i>The New-York Weekly Magazine, </i>(Vol II, Wednesday, July 20th, 1796), 19. <i> </i><br />
[4] See, Anon, <i>The Gentleman's Magazine,</i> (Vol XXIII, 1753), 187; Anon, <i>The Batchelor: Or Speculations of Jeoffry Wagstaffe, Esq, </i>(1769). 129.<br />
[5] Anon, <i>A Pocket Dictionary; Or Complete English Expositor</i>, (1758), 361.<br />
[6] See, Anon, <i>The British Magazine, </i>(1746) 309. Anon, <i>The Gentleman's Magazine,</i> (Vol XXVI, 1756) 490, Anon,<i> Magasin des modes noevelles,</i> (1787) 5; Anon, "The Spectator"<i> Harrison's British Classicks,</i> (Vol IV, Thursday, July 26th 1786) 251.<br />
[7]William Hickey, <i>Memoirs</i>, (Vol I) 140.<br />
[8]Anon, "The Spectator"<i> Harrison's British Classicks,</i> (Vol IV, Thursday, July 26th 1786) 251.<br />
[9]Anon,<i> Magasin des modes noevelles,</i> (1787) 5;<br />
[10]Anon, "On the Three-Cornered Hat" <i>The New-York Weekly Magazine, </i>(Vol II, Wednesday, July 20th, 1796), 19. <i> </i></div>
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<br />Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-43795384943953620872020-05-25T16:58:00.001-04:002020-05-25T16:58:45.456-04:00 SYW Wargame Campaign Report: Week 6<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS234509aPiYDv4carFq7xry7z0aotcPkjejgvWu1jyNsUxBrLLm08bn_ZCY2lrO4zEWQ33bcyjp8HrmtBFC-rEYvHM_WtyaxDSW0DItJ_mqR4QO2smbfGpPmM5duDSVj6cNEKqPDMdTg/s1600/100790141_250567609611341_5275846519696654336_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS234509aPiYDv4carFq7xry7z0aotcPkjejgvWu1jyNsUxBrLLm08bn_ZCY2lrO4zEWQ33bcyjp8HrmtBFC-rEYvHM_WtyaxDSW0DItJ_mqR4QO2smbfGpPmM5duDSVj6cNEKqPDMdTg/s400/100790141_250567609611341_5275846519696654336_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaeger and Grenzer skirmish in the Bohemian foothils</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Dear Reader,<br />
<br />
Today, I am reporting on the sixth week of the Seven Years War Campaign which I have been umpiring over the last two months. You can find links to previous weeks at the bottom of the post. Beginning in the middle of March, the campaign is ongoing and still in progress. The period of time for today's post is roughly April 22nd-28th. Below is a map for those dates. As stated before, the campaign switched to a new map to allow for in the inclusion of a few more players. I have first included the new map, followed by an update from the old map.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMepQLAh6bsXFoy4Gbh6JEHtpBy1xqaiynMW8rP8pN94fq6xt002hyeWtO_SHQArNQf_TIwTG5IK9Jvw-QRKDVgYrGMZ183TF9sydBkiPFhJBw3Js3i6Z7xVGm94kLXPx0UrYE656Uwo/s1600/100063190_2521447271441190_8281679600845586432_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMepQLAh6bsXFoy4Gbh6JEHtpBy1xqaiynMW8rP8pN94fq6xt002hyeWtO_SHQArNQf_TIwTG5IK9Jvw-QRKDVgYrGMZ183TF9sydBkiPFhJBw3Js3i6Z7xVGm94kLXPx0UrYE656Uwo/s400/100063190_2521447271441190_8281679600845586432_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new campaign map for week 6 </td></tr>
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In this week, Prussian forces drove the Swedes back in the direction of Stralsund in the far north. In Saxony, Reichsarmee forces were on the retreat, informed that the King of Prussia had arrived in the area. On the Oder/Russian sector, Zieten pulled off an impressive maneuver, covering hundreds of miles in a short period of time with the cavalry of his army and General Huelsen's army, riding from the Oder to Saxony and back without his absence being reported to the enemy. General Tchernychev returned to Russian positions around Schwibus, and launched another raid on the enemy. In Silesia, Austrian forces confronted the small army of the Duke of Bevern, pursuing him from a position around Schweidnitz, and running unexpectedly into Frederick and Bevern's combined force around Landshut. Sieges proceeded at Glatz and Schweidnitz. In a rare bit of good fortune, no major tabletop battles were fought in this week, and the umpire breathed a large sigh of relief. <div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvL1eXgjfQGLtmII6Xr2C4IWC6eaa19jy4xNq0Si_kt9NvHgCLTXOw_ED4w8MxrN4uBP2YP1SQoHk-Kq6eXabiD2Z23HVIlFr6EhEZ9Sl26n0Peh9psF2-MhA6oyc61Ia6yesiIJznt60/s1600/99425107_270755654054117_3397623146101080064_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvL1eXgjfQGLtmII6Xr2C4IWC6eaa19jy4xNq0Si_kt9NvHgCLTXOw_ED4w8MxrN4uBP2YP1SQoHk-Kq6eXabiD2Z23HVIlFr6EhEZ9Sl26n0Peh9psF2-MhA6oyc61Ia6yesiIJznt60/s640/99425107_270755654054117_3397623146101080064_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Old Campaign Map for Week</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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In the north, no major battles were fought, and the Swedish commander pulled his forces back from Anklam, and holed up inside Stralsund with his army and supporting naval squadron. Generals Mantueffel and Dohna constructed a fortified camp outside of Stralsund, attempted to blockade the position from the landward side. General Dohna also sent out several raiding forces, in an effort to collect funds for the ongoing war effort.<br />
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In the Russian theater of war, General Buturlin waited fairly patiently for the arrival of reinforcements under the command of both Generals Saltykov and Rumyantsev, who had been redeployed from areas where they were going to cooperate with the Austrian Army. General Tchernychev returned from his first raiding expedition, and departed on his second raid. General Zieten, growing nervous that the quiet Russians in his front boded poorly for other theaters, rode from the Oder river near Gruenberg to Muska in Saxony in under a week, to date the fastest redeployment of troops during this campaign. Zieten met with Frederick briefly in Saxony, and turned his forces back towards the Russian position.<br />
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In Saxony, the arrival of the King sent the Austrians into a hasty retreated. Prince August Ferdinand (Henri's successor) marched south, reuniting his army with the forces under <i>FM </i>Keith in Dresden. Prince A.F. than turned over his command to Keith, the senior officer. During the same period, General d' Kavallerie Serbelloni took his force to the southwest, crossing the Elbe at Meissen, and linking up with forces under the command of General Hadik near Chemnitz.<br />
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In Silesia, the Austrians pursued a siege at Glatz, really blockading the city, while dispatching most of their force north towards Schweidnitz. Aggressively maneuvering from the area of Glatz, the armies of Daun and Loudon approached the entrenched camp of the Duke of Bevern. The umpire lovingly spent 4 hours finding period maps of this location for a potential conflict, only to have the ungrateful Duke of Bevern withdraw immediately before the vastly superior enemy forces.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHk7zz0PDYgE-dfbtJodnSAFdv3C5rjnDyEfyZhTir1AbnpJV__ZC_VfW9fTvcNaSoxJ9Jgxu_ZgFeogNIZ_UqKZNcxK2cX4rhYEsirYQM-Zks1AwEr09UGGiQ8urb2rnpoDeXjWDeZ8M/s1600/Prussian+Briefing+Schweidnitz+1736.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="1600" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHk7zz0PDYgE-dfbtJodnSAFdv3C5rjnDyEfyZhTir1AbnpJV__ZC_VfW9fTvcNaSoxJ9Jgxu_ZgFeogNIZ_UqKZNcxK2cX4rhYEsirYQM-Zks1AwEr09UGGiQ8urb2rnpoDeXjWDeZ8M/s400/Prussian+Briefing+Schweidnitz+1736.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A report to the Duke of Bevern on his defensive position near Schweidnitz<br />(from a 1736 map)</td></tr>
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Bevern, ever canny, moved his forces to the northwest, and then sharply cut to the south, bringing his army into a position near Hirschberg. The Austrians initially let him go, and pursued a siege at Schweidnitz.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLk7IhZG-sqf2jkuMy3BAKXHrMPZf-aNr4Khp1l-mGle9o067xGhbPCNW8Atf67vR8TKp8X9bYjCi2wpWpO3MdK7IemBiVHmwvmWE9033B8p52ZIKubeo9cnilA0Q_Sx8weSx54w1w4RY/s1600/Schweidnitz+Work+Report+4+28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1155" data-original-width="1600" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLk7IhZG-sqf2jkuMy3BAKXHrMPZf-aNr4Khp1l-mGle9o067xGhbPCNW8Atf67vR8TKp8X9bYjCi2wpWpO3MdK7IemBiVHmwvmWE9033B8p52ZIKubeo9cnilA0Q_Sx8weSx54w1w4RY/s400/Schweidnitz+Work+Report+4+28.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Austrian progress report from the Siege of Schweidnitz</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Frederick's force, moving a great rate of speed from Saxony, met Bevern near Hirschberg. Together, they immediately moved in the direction of Schweidnitz, via Landshut. Since the Prussian Royal Army had left Breslau over two weeks earlier, the Austrians had been unaware of its position. Worrying that Bevern might be threatening their communications, the hot-tempered Ernst Gideon von Loudon took his force from Schweidnitz, ignoring a directive from General Neipperg, and moved to Landshut.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAA-QCIOU7p-j2NVgpDevSTosEsLDCh_p8BN73SxO06HXak-XuRL2AFJN-c126xlyjOcljUfbmr0298zOclQ9f3OWVSu4H7hipEW6XhND19gmp8c6zPEiNJWQ5AlB35auyFzsw6ICkwFc/s1600/98206598_941955722904525_4017272268466946048_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAA-QCIOU7p-j2NVgpDevSTosEsLDCh_p8BN73SxO06HXak-XuRL2AFJN-c126xlyjOcljUfbmr0298zOclQ9f3OWVSu4H7hipEW6XhND19gmp8c6zPEiNJWQ5AlB35auyFzsw6ICkwFc/s400/98206598_941955722904525_4017272268466946048_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Austrian forces under Loudon near Landshut</td></tr>
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On the evening of April 28th, both the Prussian forces and the Austrians became aware of the enemy to their front. The combined armies of Frederick and Bevern numbered 70,000 men, while the forces under Loudon were much smaller, in the neighborhood of 30,000 men. Realizing the danger that his forces were in, Loudon immediately ordered his troops into defensive positions, and awaited the Prussian onslaught.<br />
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Everything hung in the balance. The arrival of the King's Army had temporarily restored their situation in Saxony, new field commanders had driven the Swedes back to Stralsund in the north, and in Silesia, all things pointed to a massive victory over Loudon. Tune in next week, as the Prussians began their most daring operational maneuver of the war to date. </div>
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<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/04/syw-wargame-campaign-report-background.html">Background and Week 1</a><br />
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<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/04/syw-campaign-report-week-2.html">Week 2</a><br />
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<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/">Week 3</a><br />
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<span id="goog_581015456"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_581015457"></span><a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/05/syw-wargame-campaign-report-week-4.html">Week 4</a><br />
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<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/05/syw-wargame-campaign-report-week-5.html">Week 5</a><br />
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Alex Burns</div>
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Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-70821230324584926472020-05-18T13:19:00.000-04:002020-05-18T13:19:10.042-04:00 SYW Wargame Campaign Report: Week 5<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdbyFxnY0axOBoT14QuBSbNf9AJe-qIF12ZkUoOlPcKxQXoQc8kJWEJ_4sP14KWfu4771HNrjbIZNIHjU4wkZfFQeJThhZ0ilRoQZ7j9smP4TCmIizoNBNmYMlexyD0Gx_69JUiSnug50/s1600/92578175_686549242105998_3161810947421503488_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdbyFxnY0axOBoT14QuBSbNf9AJe-qIF12ZkUoOlPcKxQXoQc8kJWEJ_4sP14KWfu4771HNrjbIZNIHjU4wkZfFQeJThhZ0ilRoQZ7j9smP4TCmIizoNBNmYMlexyD0Gx_69JUiSnug50/s400/92578175_686549242105998_3161810947421503488_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prinz Henri leads his men against Reichsarmee troops in the village of Rittschen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Dear Reader,<br />
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Today, I am reporting on the fifth week of the Seven Years War Campaign which I have been umpiring over the last two months. You can find links to previous weeks at the bottom of the post. Beginning in the middle of March, the campaign is ongoing and still in progress. The period of time for today's post is roughly April 15th-21st. Below is a map for those dates. As stated before, the campaign switched to a new map in this week, to allow for in the inclusion of a few more players. I have first included the new map, followed by an update from the old map.<br />
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Here is the new map:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN4yhbvfRZjpFELwAI-78dCf-VRI9TbuGwqj7sv94m6V80Za24ZWThyphenhyphenlNRczRjWUzl7Y2hmuzgROPomGmu3r93nujgEBA_76-gttGq2Idln7fxM9CyVjEDFergiMkSArwx6U5c97EAj2M/s1600/99348131_700327267197192_2788757380945412096_n+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN4yhbvfRZjpFELwAI-78dCf-VRI9TbuGwqj7sv94m6V80Za24ZWThyphenhyphenlNRczRjWUzl7Y2hmuzgROPomGmu3r93nujgEBA_76-gttGq2Idln7fxM9CyVjEDFergiMkSArwx6U5c97EAj2M/s400/99348131_700327267197192_2788757380945412096_n+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new map, with generalize locations and movements</td></tr>
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Here is the old map:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLIk_uUFGgIZQVqOmANo93xEZSLhgh4QrRSiHa1dTchDDpxB-FZR8cMW2UPjbchJA9zsaInXo7u0IR031k9uX65xw-Zh11U9KyKPpLAEXAOHoB-V2GpZSFBEX-NzYZSe1KdjIe4PFtas/s1600/Week+5+Full+Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="631" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLIk_uUFGgIZQVqOmANo93xEZSLhgh4QrRSiHa1dTchDDpxB-FZR8cMW2UPjbchJA9zsaInXo7u0IR031k9uX65xw-Zh11U9KyKPpLAEXAOHoB-V2GpZSFBEX-NzYZSe1KdjIe4PFtas/s640/Week+5+Full+Map.jpg" width="546" /></a></div>
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This was an interesting week, with many developments. In the far north, (the Pomeranian theater of war) the Swedes launched an offensive from Stralsund. Prussian Generals Dohna and Manteuffel were dispatched to take control of forces in this area, but would not arrive until the following week. </div>
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In the northwest of the old map, the Austrians scored their first clear victory over the Prussians at Rittschen (although the Austrians would also like to remind you that they view the Battle of Swiet, in week 4, as a victory). </div>
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The Russians launched a raiding force under Generral Tchernychev, who managed to bridge the Oder and avoid detection with his 5,000 men. Frederick turned from a march south from the Oder/Russian theater of war to the west, hoping to rescue the situation in Saxony. In the south, one of the more brilliant marches of the campaign occurred. The Duke of Bevern, realizing that he was nearly trapped by Austrian forces, abandoned the city of Königgrätz, having collected a substantial contribution. As in previous weeks, we will start in the north and work our way south. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxaK4AJJQdNtViMt7lHsqCD-_cW7RrNgVo1MSHxx-Z7kreh_Q07pYSObNzzfm0x5gFX0-_RhAgWSyEysFBbZOEzPYn0Ikbd1G8G7-dORnu0nYQHSLRCbObAZULgV5LObqGuI-0Wy5Sn3Q/s1600/98048923_298146707949669_5219692175943532544_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxaK4AJJQdNtViMt7lHsqCD-_cW7RrNgVo1MSHxx-Z7kreh_Q07pYSObNzzfm0x5gFX0-_RhAgWSyEysFBbZOEzPYn0Ikbd1G8G7-dORnu0nYQHSLRCbObAZULgV5LObqGuI-0Wy5Sn3Q/s400/98048923_298146707949669_5219692175943532544_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Week 5: The Pomeranian Sector</td></tr>
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In the Pomeranian theater, the Swedes under General Gustaf Hamilton launched an offensive, driving the ill-led Prussian Army back from the gates of Stralsund to Stettin. Having driven back the Prussian army, Hamilton began a siege of the city of Anklam, opening a parallel and a few batteries. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMhXtTcy4Zpq2EGqmDIa3S74ydOvu5FcCuOc41cqMqvLxVucoTXiWt80chW0BYWR1opzXoBD7CD7PYpSkZ__YR6c5-an3F-kXwXwvxIMRxPToEhoUVNsiWvgFgwFmg_SY9U2RGjW8yG8Y/s1600/Anklam+for+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="942" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMhXtTcy4Zpq2EGqmDIa3S74ydOvu5FcCuOc41cqMqvLxVucoTXiWt80chW0BYWR1opzXoBD7CD7PYpSkZ__YR6c5-an3F-kXwXwvxIMRxPToEhoUVNsiWvgFgwFmg_SY9U2RGjW8yG8Y/s400/Anklam+for+blog.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The progress of the siege of Anklam</td></tr>
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The Prussian commanders arriving in the region would soon attempt to rectify this state of affairs. Moving to the south, the Saxon/Silesian theater of war, on the new map: </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFShp59STY4RCEkDhiiIZtoTSKPkXeY3QqdoJn5rRLpvUMm6EkQGO3cf7A7BXvVvuoJ0qroi1ISQKXROWGtHW6GKyj-eSv7nYzp2UTBO_TaIXDzeR-x9kYusRmbvTMNhtL24WY2gKRy-A/s1600/98381340_2279237269038911_5522137081368805376_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFShp59STY4RCEkDhiiIZtoTSKPkXeY3QqdoJn5rRLpvUMm6EkQGO3cf7A7BXvVvuoJ0qroi1ISQKXROWGtHW6GKyj-eSv7nYzp2UTBO_TaIXDzeR-x9kYusRmbvTMNhtL24WY2gKRy-A/s400/98381340_2279237269038911_5522137081368805376_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Saxon/Silesian Theater of War (New Map)</td></tr>
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And on the old map: </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_BIrsvb2eJTSIEQR2J7YR-XhLjzb1lIpAwd4lT_0WajUAMNkAycHB9wSYuCtbjpe8IJ5T5_Z3C3q_fIy3pF1xH2teMJK3DP3UKW7_PfF6rFGNylXL8_HP399dwEty1rxMHDcNNfBcuZY/s1600/Week+5+North+Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="844" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_BIrsvb2eJTSIEQR2J7YR-XhLjzb1lIpAwd4lT_0WajUAMNkAycHB9wSYuCtbjpe8IJ5T5_Z3C3q_fIy3pF1xH2teMJK3DP3UKW7_PfF6rFGNylXL8_HP399dwEty1rxMHDcNNfBcuZY/s400/Week+5+North+Map.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Week 5: The Saxon/Silesian Sector (Old Map)<br /></td></tr>
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The main event of Week 5 in the Saxon/Lower Silesian sector was the Battle of Rittschen. After a few days of waiting, Prinz Henri, the brother of Prussian King Frederick the Great, launched an attack on the enemy. Prinz Henri, (a rather famous wargame designer), felt that his tactical acumen would be sufficient to overcome the slightly larger Reichsarmee force commanded by Gen d' Kav, Serbelloni. Serbelloni, historically, a lover a sweet drinks, Italian poetry, and beautiful women, calmly sipped his hot chocolate and awaited the Prussian advance. </div>
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If last week's confrontation at Predmeritz was my favorite period of operational maneuvering in the campaign to date, the fight at Rittschen would have to be my favorite battle. Both players were experienced wargamers, and led their troops with appropriate confidence and panache.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnQ6WsMWfo1-1qV3Sn-S73DRF46f9Yb6F4dDo5J_k4VO_iHot3qOux6nGOltRkDDBE7UhjjpkKi4U0Q_Fi8OVENxqS5cWrqRhQGYqpD3-8V7iZ0X6jgz1TJYdYHYf5HQDXBK3-30qPkQ/s1600/99361478_2948350358567354_7504385473406566400_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnQ6WsMWfo1-1qV3Sn-S73DRF46f9Yb6F4dDo5J_k4VO_iHot3qOux6nGOltRkDDBE7UhjjpkKi4U0Q_Fi8OVENxqS5cWrqRhQGYqpD3-8V7iZ0X6jgz1TJYdYHYf5HQDXBK3-30qPkQ/s400/99361478_2948350358567354_7504385473406566400_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Prussian Columns cross a branch of the Spree, approaching the Austrian position<br /></td></tr>
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Henri got his army into position to attack by 8am, leading one column of marching troops himself. The Reichs-Executions Armee, expecting an attack directly from the north, were caught off balance, and quickly redeployed their men into the hedged fields facing Henri's chosen angle of attack. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5YmxVKOHo9IKTzmKg2nOmkYF4pG9YjuxhX2ksp9L2FzusO21L6rKxuUIcIoPaag6luldOGyUo931RUc1g9UrOardb0QuFf7JfGKzljzyZASEjiFd3N1bt25vxxb1GNs87J0mPXgj5TQ/s1600/99093103_791621258040772_6146253583902834688_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5YmxVKOHo9IKTzmKg2nOmkYF4pG9YjuxhX2ksp9L2FzusO21L6rKxuUIcIoPaag6luldOGyUo931RUc1g9UrOardb0QuFf7JfGKzljzyZASEjiFd3N1bt25vxxb1GNs87J0mPXgj5TQ/s640/99093103_791621258040772_6146253583902834688_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Prussian Army deploys as the Reichsarmee scrambles into defensive positions</td></tr>
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Henri, confident of victory, ordered a general advance across the entire line. The battlefield was crowded, and the Prussian cavalry did not have room to fully deploy according to Henri's initial disposition. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZVEsTx31FjK0vqmReFRRtr1He39og6jQhXQIwgckrEvnKfQKYZqVE_ijs6B0_FbZQg-yHjAiNlpEUtQDYvmzIwU8ioUhj_EDv-4AmctLQNL7aE_st_XzWJ0NWZHads_51YvODhDlPmw/s1600/97498663_681076519355439_5358313022811013120_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZVEsTx31FjK0vqmReFRRtr1He39og6jQhXQIwgckrEvnKfQKYZqVE_ijs6B0_FbZQg-yHjAiNlpEUtQDYvmzIwU8ioUhj_EDv-4AmctLQNL7aE_st_XzWJ0NWZHads_51YvODhDlPmw/s400/97498663_681076519355439_5358313022811013120_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Prussian attack begins</td></tr>
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In his disposition, Henri had called for the guns to arrive last, and so the battle began with an advance of the Prussian first line of infantry. On the Prussian left, their cavalry engaged the Reichsarmee horse, and drove them a considerable distance. The infantry advance was difficult initially, with a poor morale throw causing a Prussian musketeer battalion to falter. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_Deu-8XFJiKiET6J0txP8K_qdHcDDAswwfC2kTwJFB6fWcilJOIsgDU57F7VyUhNVCeVPPg6HG8IXVq6SRJmF2HhtPMTnVXCZVdYPp4halP_dD95-NQOUBTMPMihaXiVVcz1rqrl25E/s1600/98345341_251352486102675_5946446306519023616_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_Deu-8XFJiKiET6J0txP8K_qdHcDDAswwfC2kTwJFB6fWcilJOIsgDU57F7VyUhNVCeVPPg6HG8IXVq6SRJmF2HhtPMTnVXCZVdYPp4halP_dD95-NQOUBTMPMihaXiVVcz1rqrl25E/s400/98345341_251352486102675_5946446306519023616_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prinz Henri attempts to rally his men, and directs his Grenadiers to charge</td></tr>
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Henri directed his sole Grenadier battalion to attack the enemy flank and rear. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpCRWkAvfmFO1daqELFxh46vnzDjUfAp5SA4qdI3wdjDfAiX4dcHcNT6-MoMfcMouMlb3vr_vb3S67beivpZwLc8fP6GGhml9LGlX-ZL7c81vL5dMNHUOkSoL8WIqS5Od0MTLG5F-VKGs/s1600/97717870_2493204117448692_4949626449142218752_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpCRWkAvfmFO1daqELFxh46vnzDjUfAp5SA4qdI3wdjDfAiX4dcHcNT6-MoMfcMouMlb3vr_vb3S67beivpZwLc8fP6GGhml9LGlX-ZL7c81vL5dMNHUOkSoL8WIqS5Od0MTLG5F-VKGs/s400/97717870_2493204117448692_4949626449142218752_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Prussian grenadiers clear the defensive works</td></tr>
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This charge was devastating, causing two of the circle regiments of the Reichsarmnee to flee in disorder. The Prussian cavalry followed up this advance, fighting with their opposite numbers again, and driving them a considerable distance. At this point in the battle, Serbelloni was rather nervous, as his initial defensive positions had been pried out of his grasp. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDbYB5YJ2RCYceEohlHmukeFsQ_vIGVsU6N94EYcbN5SNAJR1CGt7mDBQB1L3h-pR-2g9ZIYIwx5P85nHAa15fUl2OgUiFEsCXq9AJCk3M6hTNKAoyJRlnJqNsb_bYWI6BQ5izlBhC4fw/s1600/99103615_1147878018896163_2580242199102881792_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDbYB5YJ2RCYceEohlHmukeFsQ_vIGVsU6N94EYcbN5SNAJR1CGt7mDBQB1L3h-pR-2g9ZIYIwx5P85nHAa15fUl2OgUiFEsCXq9AJCk3M6hTNKAoyJRlnJqNsb_bYWI6BQ5izlBhC4fw/s400/99103615_1147878018896163_2580242199102881792_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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At this point, though, expecting better results, Prinz Henri ordered his second line infantry to assault the village. Placing himself in direct command of these troops, he led his men forward. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdbyFxnY0axOBoT14QuBSbNf9AJe-qIF12ZkUoOlPcKxQXoQc8kJWEJ_4sP14KWfu4771HNrjbIZNIHjU4wkZfFQeJThhZ0ilRoQZ7j9smP4TCmIizoNBNmYMlexyD0Gx_69JUiSnug50/s1600/92578175_686549242105998_3161810947421503488_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdbyFxnY0axOBoT14QuBSbNf9AJe-qIF12ZkUoOlPcKxQXoQc8kJWEJ_4sP14KWfu4771HNrjbIZNIHjU4wkZfFQeJThhZ0ilRoQZ7j9smP4TCmIizoNBNmYMlexyD0Gx_69JUiSnug50/s400/92578175_686549242105998_3161810947421503488_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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A Prussian veteran of the encounter described the scene:</div>
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"Leading by example, the prince placed himself at the head of the first battalion of Frei Infanterie to hand, and led them in an assault on the village. Fired by his example, the men begin general attack on all fronts. Our men stormed forward, approaching a battery of 12pders on the village street. The phrases “Blutgasse” and “Hochkirch” flashed into my mind with no apparent cause. The Prince stretched himself into his stirrups, looking every inch of his 5’3” frame. Henri shouted, at the top of his slightly high-pitched voice, 'Kerls, wollt ihr ewig leben?!!'”</blockquote>
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As the Prince and his men approached the enemy battery, the 12pders fired. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgONiJ_i7o9J-7waclnc5sE5a53qSWNhyra2N-P4fee3Rq1dCvn79cGbqIYLVIF5yOwxx0yIzV1z1yCLNEfa7ik99_WlTG9gTt29MOk8oLhmkUz_eq-k9RaeCI0oelnm668_Bzb4lPA0ps/s1600/92953345_220523015873009_5034876245683208192_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgONiJ_i7o9J-7waclnc5sE5a53qSWNhyra2N-P4fee3Rq1dCvn79cGbqIYLVIF5yOwxx0yIzV1z1yCLNEfa7ik99_WlTG9gTt29MOk8oLhmkUz_eq-k9RaeCI0oelnm668_Bzb4lPA0ps/s400/92953345_220523015873009_5034876245683208192_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fatal moment at Rittschen<br /></td></tr>
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Henri and approximately 200 of his men were immediately down, hit by canister. The Prussian forces reeled from this news, sparking retreats across the battlefield. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizzpNW4uK_iD_416EsoceLCKB16qbN_-HcQ-jjgUkVVzXBDMPcg7qPsoiEbe35G8Rqs-cxk4Ttxhl8FkbteQr-GLlPMgBNusbUoWvZY5jCU3S1XkYZhJcuRQuHeodRxwKcl819LK-DtKA/s1600/98347355_653706258805528_600053153689239552_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizzpNW4uK_iD_416EsoceLCKB16qbN_-HcQ-jjgUkVVzXBDMPcg7qPsoiEbe35G8Rqs-cxk4Ttxhl8FkbteQr-GLlPMgBNusbUoWvZY5jCU3S1XkYZhJcuRQuHeodRxwKcl819LK-DtKA/s400/98347355_653706258805528_600053153689239552_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Prussians break from the field at Rittschen</td></tr>
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With the loss of their leader, the Prussian forces abandoned the fight, leaving Serbelloni the master of the field. Prinz Henri, informed of the seriousness of his wounds, replied that it was quite alright, he had some grading to do and could use a break. </div>
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Somewhat stunned by this news, Serbelloni wrote this hasty note, scrawled on the back of some unfortunte Swabian, to Vienna: </div>
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"Majesty, </div>
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Your army defeated Prinz Heinrich von Preusse this 15th of April 1758. It was a hard fought afternoon. The Prussians lost 5500 men including 2000 prisoners taken. Our forces were battered by 2500. Thanks be to God and the stout hearts of Your Majesties valiant troops. </div>
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We hear the King of Prussia is moving this way. Rumor has it He and 70,000 could be in Gorlitz on the 20th. I hope this means FM von Daun is hounding him out of Siliesia. </div>
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Your Majesty's most humble servant, </div>
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J.B. Graf Serbelloni, </div>
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Gen-d-Kav"</div>
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Turning back to the campaign at large, the King of Prussia was indeed on his way to Saxony, hastily marching in great strides. The Russians had a quiet week on the whole, and Generals Zieten and Tchernychev attempted to outdo one another in feats of horsemanship in <i>la petite guerre. </i>Tchernychev eventually eluded his pursuers, building a bridge at Beuthen, and crossing the Oder. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDDitpxDbOAqCqEYwfpMx9fgpU38M4F7McwA-0XWHsP9dNCP5Li1rFgDnVV5rCKOv0Oyv_UX0W3GE3XC1MQ9uX_GwRqpNw2gSuD-Eq7o18x_oq4NDYKyT0PIhgRxJGoPi0EEEdC9xjfzk/s1600/98318432_254942148918301_5355243525648678912_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDDitpxDbOAqCqEYwfpMx9fgpU38M4F7McwA-0XWHsP9dNCP5Li1rFgDnVV5rCKOv0Oyv_UX0W3GE3XC1MQ9uX_GwRqpNw2gSuD-Eq7o18x_oq4NDYKyT0PIhgRxJGoPi0EEEdC9xjfzk/s400/98318432_254942148918301_5355243525648678912_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Week 5: The Upper Silesian/Bohemian Sector</td></tr>
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In the south, the Austrians, having completed their victorious siege of Neisse, moved their main army towards Königgrätz. The Army under Loudon resumed its operations, approaching Königgrätz from the west. Rather than become trapped by these forces, the Duke of Bevern marched at a furious pace directly to the north, abandoning the city and heading for Trautenau. He escaped a Maxenish fate by a day. </div>
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The campaign seemed to be turning against the Prussians. With the army of the King moving between theaters, the Prussians had been defeated in Saxony, placed on the back foot in Pomerania, and driven out of Bohemia. All in all, the Swedes and Austrians had a successful week (and who can forget the valiant Russian sacrifices which made this all possible). Tune in next week, as the Austrians begin ambitious sieges at both Glatz and Schweidnitz, the Swedish General Hamilton faces new opponents in the north, and Frederick arrives in Saxony. </div>
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<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/04/syw-wargame-campaign-report-background.html">Background and Week 1</a><br />
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<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/04/syw-campaign-report-week-2.html">Week 2</a><br />
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<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/">Week 3</a><br />
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<span id="goog_581015456"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_581015457"></span><a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/05/syw-wargame-campaign-report-week-4.html">Week 4</a><br />
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Thanks for Reading, </div>
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Alex Burns</div>
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<br />Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-36487153840608381512020-05-14T10:24:00.002-04:002023-02-01T21:25:47.546-05:00Deep Dive on Uniform Research: The Pelisse Trim of the "Death's Head" Hussars<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpmTX_3pWPElSfjaf2D9WAU4n1IkdUBQN_paAaeFnexCE_mUst_Az2uU6LfhQpBT8wWJgTFhb_hV6Zny0uhlM_u_x0SZvKaStarOZiI88iAgbQ4L4cIBaj5jLHrvInOPjRl1tRKI2Kpko/s1600/IMG_7813.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="376" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpmTX_3pWPElSfjaf2D9WAU4n1IkdUBQN_paAaeFnexCE_mUst_Az2uU6LfhQpBT8wWJgTFhb_hV6Zny0uhlM_u_x0SZvKaStarOZiI88iAgbQ4L4cIBaj5jLHrvInOPjRl1tRKI2Kpko/s400/IMG_7813.JPG" width="390" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Accurate Vorstellung der sämtlich Koeniglichen Preusischen Armee</span><br style="font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">(Society of the Cincinnati Library, Washington, DC)</span></td></tr>
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Dear Reader,<br />
<br />
Today, I want to examine a topic near and dear to many of our hearts: researching the details of uniforms from the eighteenth century. Although this post follows one uniform detail and my search for answers regarding it, my hope is that it will provide enthusiasts and amateur historians of material culture with a step-by-step processes for evaluating and answering their own questions regarding uniforms and material culture from the eighteenth century.<br />
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Obviously, this is not a comprehensive guide on how to research material culture, nor is it is a comprehensive guide to eighteenth-century uniforms. For further advice on these matters, I highly recommend contacting archaeologists and specialists from your particular field of interest. For all eighteenth-century uniformology questions, Dr. Matthew Keagle at Fort Ticonderoga is an excellent place to begin. When his dissertation, <i>'An Uniform is Granted by all to be Absolutely Necessary’: A Cultural History of Military Dress in the Revolutionary Atlantic, </i>is widely available, it will be a necessary starting point for understanding military dress. If you are new to this process, my first piece of advice is find someone who (regardless of their profession or credentials) has spent serious time doing primary research in your field of interest. If you need advice on who to contact for your specific question, feel free to reach out to me. I have many friends digging deep into the world of eighteenth-century uniforms.<br />
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<b>Step 1: Formulate a Question. </b><br />
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Several months ago, I became interested in the uniforms of one of the most iconic mid-eighteenth-century military units: The Reusch Hussars, or Hussar Regiment 5 of the Prussian Army. Colloquially, this regiment has received the "Death's Head" or <i>Totenkopf</i>, nickname as a result of the skull and crossbones which featured prominently on their mirlitons. As I looked more into this regiment's uniform, it became apparent that there was some disagreement regarding the color of the trim on the outer coat (or Pelisse) worn by the hussars. Some believed that the trim was black, the same color as the body of the Pelisse, others believed that it was white, contrasting sharply with the body of the coat. I had arrived at my question: <b>During the reign of Frederick II,what color was the trim on the Pelisse of this hussar regiment?</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19v9V7hveCQ4WJyjy2aIC7m66rIImPfhyphenhyphenxUENWYgzTy6XtwGJqm982W0Yp8_s56pslTj2y6knxlUpSPBxz1e2nuZsTRIgcd5-NMTLvPkiEqN1bxYj9T4BFH47jUu0A74WmJ1rL-5ZeU8/s1600/98195542_687603232000579_3665622783179620352_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19v9V7hveCQ4WJyjy2aIC7m66rIImPfhyphenhyphenxUENWYgzTy6XtwGJqm982W0Yp8_s56pslTj2y6knxlUpSPBxz1e2nuZsTRIgcd5-NMTLvPkiEqN1bxYj9T4BFH47jUu0A74WmJ1rL-5ZeU8/s400/98195542_687603232000579_3665622783179620352_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Various examples of secondary sources </td></tr>
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<b>Step 2: </b> <b>Examine Multiple Secondary Sources to see if your question has been answered. </b><br />
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For those not versed in the lingo of historians, a secondary source is distilled historical knowledge easily accessed by the public: a website, book, journal article, or dictionary could all be examples of secondary sources. When beginning research, it is extremely helpful to survey secondary sources, to see what others have written regarding your question. You may, in select cases, find that there is sufficient evidence in a secondary source to answer your question, ending the process. This step alone may satisfy your curiosity. As it often happens, however, secondary sources do not always agree. Casting about for more information regarding the trim of Hussar Regiment 5, I examined the secondary sources that I possessed around the house (Hans Bleckwenn, Dorn/Engelmann, and Hohrath) as well as looking for resources online, (such as Kronoskaf). In my case, the secondary sources disagreed. Hans Bleckwenn, the father of modern old Prussian army uniformology, indicated that the Pelisse of the hussars possessed a black trim. Likewise, Günter Dorn and Joachim Engelmann's book portrayed these hussars with a black trim. Kronoskaf, a Seven Years War themed wikipedia, indicated that the trim was black, but that certain visual primary sources indicated that was white. Finally, Daniel Hohrath indicated that the Pelisse was black, trimmed with white sheepskin, but provided no source for this assertion, except the period images already described by Kronoskaf.<br />
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Having looked at four secondary sources, I had not yet reached a definitive conclusion regarding my question. The source that I trusted the most as a result of its recent publication and depth of research (Hohrath), indicated one thing, while most of the older secondary sources asserted a different answer to the question. <b>In the face of such disagreement, I concluded that my question had not been answered to my satisfaction. </b>I did not simply choose to agree with the sources that I preferred, instead, I decided that it was time to proceed with my own evaluation of primary sources.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjej4sTOscnu0cQzFsvWPnoKIZX7CfsRp2DwFTjU1ZjKaMyAIQvQCxOsQauj76_8DUa4se8sBQ0Lo9Yi7MUPYSnNY44SZpR5cl-FmTVEmhymYVO9IxjR-fqKXwQjCMU2F6ko-jJQZ8O0n8/s1600/IMG_3141.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjej4sTOscnu0cQzFsvWPnoKIZX7CfsRp2DwFTjU1ZjKaMyAIQvQCxOsQauj76_8DUa4se8sBQ0Lo9Yi7MUPYSnNY44SZpR5cl-FmTVEmhymYVO9IxjR-fqKXwQjCMU2F6ko-jJQZ8O0n8/s640/IMG_3141.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plan von der Koeniglichen Preussischen Armee worinnen ein Officer und Gemeiner von Jeden Regiment zu Sehen<br />(Society of the Cincinnati Library, Washington, DC)</td></tr>
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<b>Step 3: View Multiple Primary Sources and evaluate their authority to answer your question.</b><br />
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Being unaware of any surviving examples of Pelisse from Hussar Regiment 5, I proceeded to the next most likely source: images of Hussar Regiment 5 drawn during the reign of Frederick II. I found nine depictions of the Pelisse of Hussar Regiment 5. I have had the good fortunate to examine two of these groups of images in person at the Society of the Cincinnati Library, the rest were made available by the generosity of the institutions currently holding them. Of these depictions, 6 depicted the Hussars with white trim, 2 depicted them with black trim, and 1 depicted them with grey trim.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPt34B9ON94WieC5WDxpDd7bZQvUZE7OLo6bBtkIeVmcD7doqlyWjniJC4H-XtyMvZWvCI-Ij5Ur9G8-f15Cm1QrGubvrQFFdiR0Rcpf2r53A3uZP_r9__5n5I_y4KM8IBswhiGr09Un8/s1600/Screenshot+for+Post.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="1483" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPt34B9ON94WieC5WDxpDd7bZQvUZE7OLo6bBtkIeVmcD7doqlyWjniJC4H-XtyMvZWvCI-Ij5Ur9G8-f15Cm1QrGubvrQFFdiR0Rcpf2r53A3uZP_r9__5n5I_y4KM8IBswhiGr09Un8/s400/Screenshot+for+Post.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Using MS excel as a place to chart my progress, I evaluated the sources with reference to when and where they were created, their provenance in 2020, their accuracy in answering other questions, and their usage by secondary sources. By weight of numbers, white trim seemed to be the likely answer. One of the images which showed black trim, the Wellner Manuscript, had been discredited by previous usage when compared other agreeing sources. In some cases, my research would have ended here, but I still possessed lingering doubts, and so I proceeded to step 4.<br />
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<b>Step 4: Do not rush to conclusions, assertions, or dissemination of your research. </b><br />
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In the internet age, this is perhaps the most important and difficult step. Sharing research with interested friends is always a happy experience, but it is important to distance yourself from your project sufficiently to understand if you have reached a balanced conclusion. The careers of historians are often ruined by judgement calls made in error. Christopher Duffy's Ph.D mentor, Hugh-Trevor Roper, was (unfairly, perhaps) discredited as a historian when he authenticated the supposedly legitimate diaries of Adolf Hitler, and these diaries were later proven to be a careful forgery. It is better to sit on a project that you are unsure about, than rush to a conclusion which might be inaccurate. While sitting on such a project, it is possible to continue light research into it, leading us to step 5.<br />
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<b>Step 5: Always keep your eyes open for new information, whether it agrees with your conclusion or not. </b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzP1qXJErm2u0S-d8hXoMhf61Xm3bCrp8MLtsTGOVtk8dOwuz9fb29Hg730XLP1YCDLwqE0dHncz0hyHpno4yYPWEbKFOUXDOi7g9MGRDRUc-TroflzlHbkIUXmN1hfRCLR3DcY3wXbc/s1600/916108_smm_mm_object_MM02998.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="955" data-original-width="1200" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzP1qXJErm2u0S-d8hXoMhf61Xm3bCrp8MLtsTGOVtk8dOwuz9fb29Hg730XLP1YCDLwqE0dHncz0hyHpno4yYPWEbKFOUXDOi7g9MGRDRUc-TroflzlHbkIUXmN1hfRCLR3DcY3wXbc/s400/916108_smm_mm_object_MM02998.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photograph of the Pelisse of a Prussian Hussar Regiment, Swedish Marine Museum</td></tr>
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Over 2 months after first thinking about this question and evaluating the available primary sources, I was laying in bed, reading about the Battle of the Lagoon of Stettin in 1759. I was on the website of the Swedish Marine Museum, searching for objects using Swedish language search terms. As I did, an object jumped out at me. It was the Pelisse of a Prussian Hussar, likely dating from the Swedish naval descent on Brandenburg in 1759. Despite the lateness of the hour, I was immediately awake. This is the type of connection that historians live for. I immediately returned to Step 3, and began to evaluate the relevance of this object for answering my research question.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcgeAB4V5bV-qXT2uAfQyevKMB7tR-wOAZktja9lDQC_XF9ZSJKfm-HJBLcGQi4qLrNXMoa04ma3fbxhAq1Q0A8zSroE0e6oTA9QbRjkC1uEdCZfMMhyphenhyphenXrssBHCfyh_VfLRcVChU7yT78/s1600/download+%25283%2529.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="691" data-original-width="972" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcgeAB4V5bV-qXT2uAfQyevKMB7tR-wOAZktja9lDQC_XF9ZSJKfm-HJBLcGQi4qLrNXMoa04ma3fbxhAq1Q0A8zSroE0e6oTA9QbRjkC1uEdCZfMMhyphenhyphenXrssBHCfyh_VfLRcVChU7yT78/s400/download+%25283%2529.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pelisse in its display case at the Swedish Marine Museum</td></tr>
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The Hussar Pelisse had clearly been through a lot in the intervening two hundred years. It is possible that the coat had been modified, reconstructed by conservationists, and altered by its Swedish captors. Lace loops, ordinarily present in large numbers on the Pelisse, had been stripped off, likely by Swedish enlisted men looking to make a profit. The white sheepskin trim was matted, in some spots by what looked like blood, in other cases it was missing entirely. However, on the right cuff of the Pelisse, there was what appeared to be relatively intact white sheepskin wool trim.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6eXvZeB9FJpFrhXoKAvRwpw_l8SXt-O_VL8LPkIHIubjg5o5sHeQs7sXD7MdlPDS6tuMDonnQwe4KEk-tqv1gYklgugUSxgexEMosibFLUoOafptDAw9ffBXbiC74m7cm-YqH24jlORE/s1600/916108_smm_mm_object_MM02996.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1097" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6eXvZeB9FJpFrhXoKAvRwpw_l8SXt-O_VL8LPkIHIubjg5o5sHeQs7sXD7MdlPDS6tuMDonnQwe4KEk-tqv1gYklgugUSxgexEMosibFLUoOafptDAw9ffBXbiC74m7cm-YqH24jlORE/s320/916108_smm_mm_object_MM02996.jpeg" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prussian Mirliton in the Swedish Marine Museum</td></tr>
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There were no guarantees that this was a Pelisse from Hussar Regiment 5, at least initially. Hussar Regiment 8/9 also wore black Pelisse with white trim, although that regiment wore green braid loops on the breast of their Pelisse, and this coat, though most had been stripped, still possessed four white braid loops. Supporting evidence for the coat belonging to the Death's Head Hussars included the fact that the Swedish Marine Museum also possessed a Black Death's Head mirliton, with the same provenance of the Pelisse. The combination of the white braid loops, and Hussar Regiment 5 mirliton, lead me to believe that tentatively, we should attribute this Pelisse to Hussar Regiment 5. <b>Now, for step 6: what does it all mean? </b><br />
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<b>Step 6: Formulate an answer to your question. </b><br />
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Based upon the existing evidence, both from visual sources and from existing material objects, it now seemed more likely to me that during the reign of Frederick II, Prussian Hussar Regiment 5 possessed white fur trim on their Pelisse. The combination of quality and quantity in terms of visual primary sources, combined a likely surviving example of the object under study leads me to assert that <b>the Pelisse of the Reusch Hussars possessed white trim during at least a portion of the reign of Frederick II, and likely did so during the Seven Years War. </b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjccQCIokon4lujOk7nnkPv6lkq-oF428TE7c-z3jC21_dWB5rSiWQEyARM4jtJFFMo4A41-8x9CeWD90bw1KrXjwoij1Mzm1W_QwSOZu2OBvHQiTErD4vaKu0SCUXnWHq3bNPl8GiwyNY/s1600/97058801_259824728546833_5737239785265692672_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="612" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjccQCIokon4lujOk7nnkPv6lkq-oF428TE7c-z3jC21_dWB5rSiWQEyARM4jtJFFMo4A41-8x9CeWD90bw1KrXjwoij1Mzm1W_QwSOZu2OBvHQiTErD4vaKu0SCUXnWHq3bNPl8GiwyNY/s640/97058801_259824728546833_5737239785265692672_n.jpg" width="408" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uniformes Prussien et Saxonne<br />(1750s)</td></tr>
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<b>Step 7: Share the answer to your question. </b><br />
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In public history, answering your questions is only useful if you share your findings with others. This step is easy, I have just done it above.<br />
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I hope this has been a helpful guide, which will enable you to answer your own questions regarding uniforms in the eighteenth century. Research into material culture is extremely rewarding, as a result of the wide array of primary sources that can be utilized in the course of answering questions.<br />
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Alex Burns</div>
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<br />Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-21188941525716679832020-05-12T11:50:00.000-04:002020-05-18T10:01:59.622-04:00 SYW Wargame Campaign Report: Week 4<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijIy_ZgyrTsxHYOxM3okn-amlyf1UVKqiNfhK79CxBcjGxAYe-yqrGJHmuxpO9hb0fK-_QroqkbC1dCLaO7aKp4pSz4pAj8lMzebTxDGPJmxhjsNnyrvw4oMwD9QTVfKcYtAhRMCS5oI/s1600/97078380_523862544957542_8480269401029869568_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="1505" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijIy_ZgyrTsxHYOxM3okn-amlyf1UVKqiNfhK79CxBcjGxAYe-yqrGJHmuxpO9hb0fK-_QroqkbC1dCLaO7aKp4pSz4pAj8lMzebTxDGPJmxhjsNnyrvw4oMwD9QTVfKcYtAhRMCS5oI/s400/97078380_523862544957542_8480269401029869568_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The climax of the Battle of Predmeritz</td></tr>
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Dear Reader,<br />
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Today, I am reporting on the fourth week of the Seven Years War Campaign which I have been umpiring over the last two months. You can find links to previous weeks at the bottom of the post. Beginning in the middle of March, the campaign is ongoing and still in progress. The period of time for today's post is roughly April 8th-14th. Below is a map for those dates.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLs-e5XLI0BaEuTWy2E509qTKEhBzNP-E3OFpGPzVLjMYsrHU5SM6ookNLNMtxSZClGxe2rfK8YJtr3DXYKmYHzkh7PTf4LzOLWjGHlbK3p_fb73ewjdWw3uhQdffjXrvtVfaKj2g62_w/s1600/Week+4+Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="806" data-original-width="719" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLs-e5XLI0BaEuTWy2E509qTKEhBzNP-E3OFpGPzVLjMYsrHU5SM6ookNLNMtxSZClGxe2rfK8YJtr3DXYKmYHzkh7PTf4LzOLWjGHlbK3p_fb73ewjdWw3uhQdffjXrvtVfaKj2g62_w/s640/Week+4+Map.jpg" width="570" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Week 4 Map (April 8th-April 14th) </td></tr>
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Here is a brief summary for this week. Prinz Henri of Prussia and Gen d' Cav Serbelloni maneuvered close to one another in the northwest, in Saxony. In the north, Frederick moved south towards Breslau, reaching the town after a week of movement. Both the Russians and General Ziethen's army (left by Frederick in the north) eyed one another warily with little movement. In the south, Lacy and his raiding party returned to Neisse. In an active siege, the defenders of Fort Preussen at Neisse detonated two globes de compression, there was an ill-conceived attempt by the Neisse garrison leading to high casualties and prisoners, and finally, an Austrian assault which took the city, leading the garrison commander at Ft. Preussen to consider surrender. Finally, Prussian forces under the Duke of Bevern clashed with a small Austrian army commanded by Loudon at Königgrätz.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLJJ9ecasPwhv0F0t08pK54CkE6dHWT8TSrK7IVTWTMVv3K_Q6IoSn0o7bY1OhK8rOd6ECJDMotpP5Mho825l19y-QR0MxuPV02ydTmCB0UvZjj9_930vlYIZ5OsFT3M3rZJa1Zu9-qw/s1600/96083251_860530324430530_260154222182400000_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLJJ9ecasPwhv0F0t08pK54CkE6dHWT8TSrK7IVTWTMVv3K_Q6IoSn0o7bY1OhK8rOd6ECJDMotpP5Mho825l19y-QR0MxuPV02ydTmCB0UvZjj9_930vlYIZ5OsFT3M3rZJa1Zu9-qw/s400/96083251_860530324430530_260154222182400000_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-up of the Northern Theater</td></tr>
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In the North, Prinz Henri moved his army down towards Bautzen via Cottbus. Gen d'Cav Serbelloni moved across the Goerlitz, and then proceeded north to Rittschen on the road to Cottbus, fortifying the crossing of the branch of the Spree directly in front of him. Henri and Serbelloni squared off, preparing to fight for control of Saxony.<br />
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In the Russian theater, Zieten, the Hussar King, moved his forces back across the Oder, keeping an eye on the Russians at Meseritz, while the Royal Army under Frederick II moved south towards Breslau, reaching Breslau on the 14th of April.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifS4Y27MGcZtNC7Xrl-6G-TM4f8MZ9GRxz63BRAMGot94VwLN8HIZ-NSWeRmSt9Dd2SAwQUWTSIrv0Sbp0j7HTvIcO6PPXclZ8qF3ckC0URGlDkm0yh0CmERtE3AlMT5OE7vuthF_C7lk/s1600/96793760_911100822670543_1275103381328756736_n+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifS4Y27MGcZtNC7Xrl-6G-TM4f8MZ9GRxz63BRAMGot94VwLN8HIZ-NSWeRmSt9Dd2SAwQUWTSIrv0Sbp0j7HTvIcO6PPXclZ8qF3ckC0URGlDkm0yh0CmERtE3AlMT5OE7vuthF_C7lk/s400/96793760_911100822670543_1275103381328756736_n+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In the southern area of operations, the siege of Neisse was brought to a conclusion. The week opened with the defenders countermining, and detonating two large explosive charges beneath the Austrian approaches. These <i>globes de compression</i> did not kill many enemy soldiers, as a result of the quick actions of FM Neipperg, a man of great experience in the wars, who realized the enemy intention before it was too late.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkTVsMHugX3WJlUJ7rYDKJlJPdmTqdgj7HS63WqFwNZMI1GAJubQv0mT_D0C-MKTiSVzfgx1rLVrVJAzYMOR9UJWq4aMKTJFfEZcI3uPS-nwXG_x92VMpMlAbpDU9mn1DMr-l9BO-2KM/s1600/97431651_237375553995146_4285640774516736000_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkTVsMHugX3WJlUJ7rYDKJlJPdmTqdgj7HS63WqFwNZMI1GAJubQv0mT_D0C-MKTiSVzfgx1rLVrVJAzYMOR9UJWq4aMKTJFfEZcI3uPS-nwXG_x92VMpMlAbpDU9mn1DMr-l9BO-2KM/s400/97431651_237375553995146_4285640774516736000_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tresckow leads the men forward from the Glacis at Fort Preussen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The valiant Prussian commander, Tresckow, next sought to delay the enemy by a sortie, which was conducted on April 10th. This sortie managed to spike a few guns, but cost the Prussians 1,200 casualties, all in all a disastrous result for the garrison. The Austrians assaulted the city on the night of April 13th. Although the wet ditch was not dried, they had spent two weeks cutting sufficient fascines for the creation of a causeway. The defenders of the city were reduced to 800 men, Tresckow having withdrawn most of the men to Fort Preussen. These men were massacred by the <i>Grenzer</i> leading the attack, who then ransacked the city with considerable destruction of property and a small loss of life. The already propogandic press in Berlin could not have hoped for a better outcome. Daun called for Tresckow to surrender Fort Preussen, which he did on April 14th. His men were allowed to march out freely, but had to surrender their arms and cannons.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOnALnlNvnvq49-1zg3XIzxdW8BS1ARxR-FuLLr6P-ZWuLP3lwfMpiq3CNoKCY1kG3mQ4EJnzYtKWIX5zDmFBuwAbDzqzlc-EuaWXQ4idf5ieICg3cGp1kqBKuRAevgdsH_6q0Ql6krw/s1600/Marco+Positions.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="1181" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOnALnlNvnvq49-1zg3XIzxdW8BS1ARxR-FuLLr6P-ZWuLP3lwfMpiq3CNoKCY1kG3mQ4EJnzYtKWIX5zDmFBuwAbDzqzlc-EuaWXQ4idf5ieICg3cGp1kqBKuRAevgdsH_6q0Ql6krw/s400/Marco+Positions.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Briefing received by Bevern, April 8th, at Königgrätz. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In Bohemia, a different sort of campaign was unfolding. The Duke of Bevern, having occupied Königgrätz with his light forces for some time, had reached that city with his entire army (approximately 26,000) in the preceding week. Ernst Gideon von Loudon, approaching from Prague with a slightly smaller army of 19,000 men, took up positions on high ground east of the Elbe. In a first for this campaign, both Loudon and Bevern carefully maneuvered in the immediate area of the enemy before committing to battle. This maneuvering lasted for two days, and was one of the most enjoyable portions of the campaign for the umpire to date.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKjNL8TG5vQtf72betqiTNtALurDf5M5Jf82lWS6aAwS79vlClM6NvBnwZaEsnr29iGu1sHx9ZM1qx7b7HNr-9-1OYhW1VNi0T_L72OMo-ZcUQPZhNierMmxKQoyzA4XQ-y989i9nvvQ/s1600/Battle+of+Predmeritz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="854" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKjNL8TG5vQtf72betqiTNtALurDf5M5Jf82lWS6aAwS79vlClM6NvBnwZaEsnr29iGu1sHx9ZM1qx7b7HNr-9-1OYhW1VNi0T_L72OMo-ZcUQPZhNierMmxKQoyzA4XQ-y989i9nvvQ/s400/Battle+of+Predmeritz.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Battle of Predmeritz: Königgrätz is at the bottom of the picture,<br />
Predmeritz is in the center left. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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In the early hours of April 10th, a small body of Austrian forces crossed the river north of the city, were met by Prussian forces, and chased back across the river. This brought on the Battle of Predmeritz an der Elbe, (called Battle of Swiet by the Austrians). The Prussians opened the battle by moving across the river, attacking the village of Predmeritz which was held by enemy infantry. A cavalry battle broiled north of the village, with the Prussians inflicting losses on Austrians cuirassiers who stubbornly refused to quit the field. Loudon had deftly planned to use villages as strongpoints, forcing the enemy to suffer attrition before. attacking his main line.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpt4qIO5disBOXwL98D1JfsYuwBYXhZ-ip1ndw2uN9-_wImkwhV-FwOQfpLU3YeWSN0XUVFZuEwlc9ah8gEikPA8PZO-6wpPY6Vz-xCsm5ly4-fOQqov7SNoTjv4c7adOdzl_RfdTZ9mg/s1600/95799012_1570694059744846_1059443564339003392_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpt4qIO5disBOXwL98D1JfsYuwBYXhZ-ip1ndw2uN9-_wImkwhV-FwOQfpLU3YeWSN0XUVFZuEwlc9ah8gEikPA8PZO-6wpPY6Vz-xCsm5ly4-fOQqov7SNoTjv4c7adOdzl_RfdTZ9mg/s400/95799012_1570694059744846_1059443564339003392_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the east, 11am. Predmeritz is under heavy attack <br />
by Prussian grenadiers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Eventually, the Cuirassiers were forced to retire beyond Swiet, and the Prussians focused considerable attention on Predmeritz, taking it by noon after an hour and a half of fighting. The Prussians continued their advance, but were wary about moving directly from Königgrätz, as the enemy had cavalry and artillery covering the crossing of the Elbe in that quarter.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEPXwyL8CX9XmXvZOohg4kVNmAsQRtONqM2CJPB9xow5WiNXU9T6Knw2gePOFXsxEt2bR2BCV3qruvV3aewWTjOUbTe22f5XfDpVxlBKaQKOEBJFCqmLnSEQ1f9hi1FLJpuGf7FuZnX0/s1600/95733252_1566077360233377_6559292832048218112_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="836" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEPXwyL8CX9XmXvZOohg4kVNmAsQRtONqM2CJPB9xow5WiNXU9T6Knw2gePOFXsxEt2bR2BCV3qruvV3aewWTjOUbTe22f5XfDpVxlBKaQKOEBJFCqmLnSEQ1f9hi1FLJpuGf7FuZnX0/s400/95733252_1566077360233377_6559292832048218112_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">2pm: The attack on Swiet begins. Both Bevern and Loudon can be seen in this photo</span></td></tr>
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At approximately 2pm, the Prussians continued their attack, storming the village of Swiet, which changed hands three times in the course of heavy village fighting. The Duke of Bevern was wary of committing to a full attack with only his forces to the north of Königgrätz, as his men had already taken heavy losses assaulting Predmeritz. Loudon, too, was concerned about redeploying his men to concentrate solely on the battle for Swiet, as the enemy still possessed a corps of 6,000 men in Königgrätz.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SE69sCKyDeikICMjaaUSb6Zd4xlBOhWkHx8QP7hXDS43Pety-Way2v-CmlsCNKf0Ep-THPiwtagIEoGr533x8ZcqutG56UuJmGaCzcugdAaPJ7cfS-LAGgQtpHqGnRL3UhWTsgYVv8I/s1600/96819351_796840217513991_764702305529364480_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="849" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SE69sCKyDeikICMjaaUSb6Zd4xlBOhWkHx8QP7hXDS43Pety-Way2v-CmlsCNKf0Ep-THPiwtagIEoGr533x8ZcqutG56UuJmGaCzcugdAaPJ7cfS-LAGgQtpHqGnRL3UhWTsgYVv8I/s400/96819351_796840217513991_764702305529364480_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crisis of the Battle: 3pm</td></tr>
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The crisis point of the battle arrived when Bevern, unwilling to continue the attack without his 6,000 man reserve from Königgrätz, ordered them to march across the river. This drew a charge from Loudon's remaining cuirassiers, and a countercharge from Bevern's waiting cuirassiers. Both of these charges would draw opportunity fire from batteries in the area. Bevern's horsemen were turned back by the flanking fire from the Austrian hilltop guns, but the fire from the Prussian battery also halted Loudon's 2 remaining squadrons, and the Prussian infantry were able to get across the Elbe in an uncontested movement.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqO39PgsG-Dh6QL23Nuz4XSSZJZqh-NHZJTJY3f7ZMCXMJ4Cd-jRj6CHFQAt5qMH-4_affE5TDUsy22SC-NJfJqEFDXN8kmcI5WGrubWEcfeEkU_ssz9od9ajAlLzgYSx0jLGQVXNqZNI/s1600/97078380_523862544957542_8480269401029869568_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="1505" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqO39PgsG-Dh6QL23Nuz4XSSZJZqh-NHZJTJY3f7ZMCXMJ4Cd-jRj6CHFQAt5qMH-4_affE5TDUsy22SC-NJfJqEFDXN8kmcI5WGrubWEcfeEkU_ssz9od9ajAlLzgYSx0jLGQVXNqZNI/s400/97078380_523862544957542_8480269401029869568_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The table at the Austrian decision to withdraw</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At this point, Loudon, realizing that Bevern would have the advantage in a continued contest, decided to withdraw his forces. The Austrians had already inflicted 6,000 casualties on the Prussians, suffering over 3,000 of their own, and Loudon believed, correctly, that he had represented the honor of the Queen of Hungary quite well. Loudon's forces withdrew to Chlumetz, to lick their wounds, while the Duke of Bevern immediately sent raiding parties south to reconnoiter the border of Moravia. Both sides would remain in their positions for roughly the next week.<br />
<br />
The campaign stood at a vital crossroads. With the addition of more players, the umpire made the decision to change to a larger map, encompassing a greater theater of war (the new map is below). The King of Prussia, having reached Breslau, had to make a critical decision of where to employ his army next. The Austrians, have taken Neisse, were free to choose their next target in the ongoing liberation of Silesia. In Saxony, Prinz Henri and Serbelloni faced off in what was sure to be a bloody encounter. Though victorious, Bevern's Prussian force was increasingly isolated in Bohemia.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwN7SEZdQJ4aYnw2lO_KikzkOkGoucFcvGbO4iEQFP7SHzyUxgM5EWJ2WZjmgTOb7oN57kq49LHZ-kwZfVu3XGDIL_rxcsbeHlOCiZTXa5Z4QITAYZXFX1SbwVlTCI-OJd1zhjqtMbMw/s1600/9535009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="1600" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwN7SEZdQJ4aYnw2lO_KikzkOkGoucFcvGbO4iEQFP7SHzyUxgM5EWJ2WZjmgTOb7oN57kq49LHZ-kwZfVu3XGDIL_rxcsbeHlOCiZTXa5Z4QITAYZXFX1SbwVlTCI-OJd1zhjqtMbMw/s400/9535009.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/04/syw-wargame-campaign-report-background.html">Background and Week 1</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/04/syw-campaign-report-week-2.html">Week 2</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/">Week 3</a><br />
<br />
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Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-77878519349303711492020-05-11T11:40:00.001-04:002020-05-11T11:40:34.013-04:00Publication Review: Brent Nosworthy's New Tactical Studies <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaJ6I2wj0Jh2-Fxn23PbUN3rGT-R1Stc9K1JsrzUzv9lqA0NE8fbWC6txr-bl_1M-ja7LaH8cFXOcG9mhaoSt0aTaJLoeY0GbtlCVkt-xD3nGNAuVJztX9aYr-OYX-6MccGTTafA7SM0/s1600/Nosworthy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="563" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaJ6I2wj0Jh2-Fxn23PbUN3rGT-R1Stc9K1JsrzUzv9lqA0NE8fbWC6txr-bl_1M-ja7LaH8cFXOcG9mhaoSt0aTaJLoeY0GbtlCVkt-xD3nGNAuVJztX9aYr-OYX-6MccGTTafA7SM0/s320/Nosworthy.png" width="277" /></a></div>
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<br />
Dear Reader,<br />
<br />
Like many of you, I became aware of Brent Nosworthy as a result of his fine books on the eighteenth century, the American Civil War, and the Napoleonic Era. Recently, in a partnership with Venture Miniatures, Mr. Nosworthy has been releasing a variety of works, from small pamphlets to larger monographs, covering a wide span of topics in early modern warfare.<br />
<br />
Most of these works focus on the period between 1650 and 1714, and in doing so, Nosworthy correctly demonstrates that much of the supposedly "new" tactical ideas in the eighteenth century have seventeenth-century roots. These books are mainly constructed from prescriptive manuals, such as the various <i>Ordonnance du Roy </i>of the 1740s, the writings of Monck, and military treatises from the 1500s to the 1750s. The result is the distillation of a military thought from an understudied generation of late-seventeenth-century officers.<br />
<br />
Most of these smaller pamphlets are available for download free of charge, and the $28 <i>English Infantry and Cavalry Tactic: 1672-1698,</i> is a substantial monograph of 215 pages, well worth the cost. Wargamers and enthusiasts will find much to delight in these works. <b>Recommended</b>.<br />
<br />
You can find these works here: <a href="https://www.ventureminiatures.com/product/english-infantry-cavalry-tactics/">https://www.ventureminiatures.com/product/english-infantry-cavalry-tactics/</a><br />
<br />
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<br />Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-414513331229938312020-05-05T13:29:00.000-04:002020-05-05T13:38:33.576-04:00SYW Wargame Campaign Report: Week 3<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTb_9uh6h0oCaXu_i-zT4ltkZ3eFkQLGlzyb_Dn9K71uHTWx5Do6-EQs3rt02HbcQDQg32KEXvHxp7kFu9_iDmiW4s4illpUFy1EXbcMXBlk9ahM-ampw4d3XqDUH7TAmfys5x0Sp8AYw/s1600/95558125_303896580602003_359136330543792128_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTb_9uh6h0oCaXu_i-zT4ltkZ3eFkQLGlzyb_Dn9K71uHTWx5Do6-EQs3rt02HbcQDQg32KEXvHxp7kFu9_iDmiW4s4illpUFy1EXbcMXBlk9ahM-ampw4d3XqDUH7TAmfys5x0Sp8AYw/s400/95558125_303896580602003_359136330543792128_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The massed grenadiers of the King of Prussia at Schwibus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Dear Reader,<br />
<br />
Today, I am reporting on the third week of the Seven Years War campaign which I have been umpiring over the past month and a half. You can find links to the previous weeks' at the bottom of the post. Beginning in the middle of March, the campaign is still in progress now. The period of time covered in today's post is roughly April 1st-7th. Here is the map for those dates. After heavy fighting in the north, and continuing siege operations in the south, additional forces began arriving in Saxony and Bohemia, as an Austrian Army commanded by the Freiherr von Loudon, a Reichs-Execution Armee commanded by Gen d' Kav Serbelloni, and a Prussian Army commanded by Prinz Henri of Prussia appeared on the map.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzY2fLaDlFuSU_NBEUqn3m4aZXD_PQQWeCXgVVoyxYL2Mbnz6vv1LmjaN5vv3c3VFOvvartg398_ad6gSUmFDN46rgkJUK73SgcuwI9EuquTqTIATbiKWmAQx21-nmO_8BPjIJPcNMo4/s1600/95028032_232797691346540_8601530153295675392_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="812" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzY2fLaDlFuSU_NBEUqn3m4aZXD_PQQWeCXgVVoyxYL2Mbnz6vv1LmjaN5vv3c3VFOvvartg398_ad6gSUmFDN46rgkJUK73SgcuwI9EuquTqTIATbiKWmAQx21-nmO_8BPjIJPcNMo4/s640/95028032_232797691346540_8601530153295675392_n.jpg" width="550" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
As in previous weeks, we will be working our way down the map, starting with the northern sector with the Russian armies, and then moving in to the southern sector with the Austrian armies. The signal event on the northern sector of the map occurred on April 1st, as the Prussian and Russian armies clashed again, this time near Schwibus. In this battle, the King of Prussia and the main Prussian Army attacked General Tchernychev and the Russian Army, as reinforcements under Buturlin and Zieten also rushed to the field.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmztgGXizy8xg3JJgCvFIFK6kWAh2CYMpDXzHFO9GXtskovI9hrEkntR7bPzVDteMQOzUmbEBUPQcqWRC0tOSc1QI4Nntn20Zhrv73xKRnx2FInYivkThbATKlohN41THhGr7btE6c9vQ/s1600/95778723_1500044773510598_1946793535793528832_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmztgGXizy8xg3JJgCvFIFK6kWAh2CYMpDXzHFO9GXtskovI9hrEkntR7bPzVDteMQOzUmbEBUPQcqWRC0tOSc1QI4Nntn20Zhrv73xKRnx2FInYivkThbATKlohN41THhGr7btE6c9vQ/s400/95778723_1500044773510598_1946793535793528832_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rare snapshot from the actual campaign map, <br />
rather than one reconstructed after the fact</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The situation at the beginning of the battle is visible below, with the approximate front-lines of each force drawn.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjwRLameY-hLacFyRSiZTVM0-PegcD-U4AMJ_NCu3iB79GqfPZNCC6378YGDpYOtVG5vmrkzmLHzkEu12e_LW9c6Dnb24_T2vDgRopJdwT3onDX_OM1WFX4XL0D9uA_fogd60NBbAT1xM/s1600/95690471_1314405942100069_6758543254037200896_n+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjwRLameY-hLacFyRSiZTVM0-PegcD-U4AMJ_NCu3iB79GqfPZNCC6378YGDpYOtVG5vmrkzmLHzkEu12e_LW9c6Dnb24_T2vDgRopJdwT3onDX_OM1WFX4XL0D9uA_fogd60NBbAT1xM/s400/95690471_1314405942100069_6758543254037200896_n+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here is a description of events, taken from the letters of an anonymous Prussian officer at the battle:<br />
<br />
<b>8am.</b>
The Royal Army under the command of the King of Prussia launched an attack with their best
forces, (12,000 grenadiers and guard troops) upon the Russian left flank, which was guarding the
road to Bretz. A furious artillery bombardment of approximately 80 guns proceeded this attack.
This bombardment succeeded in disorganizing the forces defending the fleches in that sector of
the field. On the Russian right flank, a sharp fight began between Prussian dragoons and the
dragoons of the enemy, eventually, though the fighting was relatively even, the Russian dragoons
withdrew.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAplQD_UWLTk2RtbW-9-GRjPb5FxRbpp5AQwOElVTcJTgENjyAYzQRiYyreg8Yb0a-clHpdi3JS-y5BDYZea5WTS8_Vei2hDwraZiPK9dMVQD2NgHONpw0OaxCFvDWnwoPuMULUb13tys/s1600/95392507_540883273511785_237846823471939584_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAplQD_UWLTk2RtbW-9-GRjPb5FxRbpp5AQwOElVTcJTgENjyAYzQRiYyreg8Yb0a-clHpdi3JS-y5BDYZea5WTS8_Vei2hDwraZiPK9dMVQD2NgHONpw0OaxCFvDWnwoPuMULUb13tys/s400/95392507_540883273511785_237846823471939584_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>9am.</b> The King of Prussia committed his elite troops to the assault of the fleches along the
Russian left wing. These troops succeeded in driving off the remaining defenders. Realizing the
extreme danger to the left wing, General Tchernychev immediately committed his reserve forces
from both wings of the army to the left.<br />
<br />
<b>10am. </b>A Russian counterattack, spearheaded by the grenadiers of their army produced uneven
results, driving some enemy grenadiers before them, and briefly recapturing the frontline fleches.
With the breathing space provided by this attack, General Tchernychev reorganized the left
wing, creating a new defensive line. The Russian grenadiers’ counterattack succeeded in taking
1,000 of the Prussian grenadiers as prisoners of war.<br />
<br />
<b>11am.</b> Prussian forces resumed their attack, moving a large body of mustketeers from their
center to support the attack on the Russian left. They succeeded in badly mauling the new
defensive line, but could not break through. General Buturlin arrived on the field in advance of
his forces at 11:30am.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCERi_j6ZflJ4xURvEtKj6kdP4wrUzLxurBLbrginsqglx3_9mpvWkD-c9-HLmiazEYtYjO3ht0lGp9PSCQKItwC4tiIt49P3XjmmrQv3jbceqTZoauryEAqxvWGJQ-ZAhcYDKMsUhB4k/s1600/95777678_731873360684745_7859948769117208576_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCERi_j6ZflJ4xURvEtKj6kdP4wrUzLxurBLbrginsqglx3_9mpvWkD-c9-HLmiazEYtYjO3ht0lGp9PSCQKItwC4tiIt49P3XjmmrQv3jbceqTZoauryEAqxvWGJQ-ZAhcYDKMsUhB4k/s400/95777678_731873360684745_7859948769117208576_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>12pm. </b>A mass attack by the remaining Prussian grenadiers succeeded in breaking the Russian
left, but resulted in the most of these grenadiers becoming casualties. The King of Prussia's grenadiers have paid a fearful cost for this victory. General Buturlin’s forces arrived,
and Buturlin immediately committed his Corps d’Observation in order to buy time. The Prussian
forces begin to waver.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2t6evPd0X3VXKYoYrcFkU3jw2hZVBUFJ-zshoK31hWogDLHX4fi3-Zt-bdhP-EGqETaiZG05dRgQnGYGtbrLbBPt2t3JykjC-hzus8v5QeIEJZX0OPP1QsuDwnLD_fyqWY8lz-V-IKMA/s1600/96260751_259407372109458_190746202059309056_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2t6evPd0X3VXKYoYrcFkU3jw2hZVBUFJ-zshoK31hWogDLHX4fi3-Zt-bdhP-EGqETaiZG05dRgQnGYGtbrLbBPt2t3JykjC-hzus8v5QeIEJZX0OPP1QsuDwnLD_fyqWY8lz-V-IKMA/s400/96260751_259407372109458_190746202059309056_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>1pm. </b>Zieten’s forces arrive and begin the attack, saving the king and driving off the enemy.
General Tcherychev’s forces succeeded in withdrawing from the field, and with the Corps d’
Observation on the north side of the city of Schwibus in a new defensive line, the Prussians
broke off the attack.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEzJSJYozjRtqLbhQZxER4GaQtc2jetcwMCgP0w7OHAy3D2utzsHMeeZcvAEE0gPKMKiNr-tZ0uU5CfgF1PDbrStU9ds-ItN9Yb-t1frWLxWrO14oWE3VwMIq-NIefSStXLinSVUDcmQ/s1600/e56ae64dfee58a76db071c256d37e3d5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="800" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEzJSJYozjRtqLbhQZxER4GaQtc2jetcwMCgP0w7OHAy3D2utzsHMeeZcvAEE0gPKMKiNr-tZ0uU5CfgF1PDbrStU9ds-ItN9Yb-t1frWLxWrO14oWE3VwMIq-NIefSStXLinSVUDcmQ/s400/e56ae64dfee58a76db071c256d37e3d5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
Casualties were heavy on both sides, with 17,000 Prussians and 20,000 Russians killed, wounded, or captured in this engagement. The Russians retired in the direction of Meseritz, and established a new entrenched camp there. After spending a few days on the battlefield, the King of Prussian began slowly moving south in the direction of Kargow.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXTZxnWG7kvnJYb8seebk4VUCHZuOFT-Z8t-3fwbMLb9X0V1hfpoFokEm8XO4gtOpRcy0pQeAoBgpU6hA8v6VmVRU0mD-RjUJt47EkpJotpvdwLMCY2XFlUSsisu9PMqlpipc5Ehrdo4/s1600/96536581_2679139175695742_8630507584677216256_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXTZxnWG7kvnJYb8seebk4VUCHZuOFT-Z8t-3fwbMLb9X0V1hfpoFokEm8XO4gtOpRcy0pQeAoBgpU6hA8v6VmVRU0mD-RjUJt47EkpJotpvdwLMCY2XFlUSsisu9PMqlpipc5Ehrdo4/s400/96536581_2679139175695742_8630507584677216256_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Upper Silesian/Bohemian Theater of Operations</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the Upper Silesian and Bohemian theater, a Prussian army under the Duke of Bevern reached Königgrätz, and occupied the city. The Austrians continued their siege operations around Neisse, and sent a raiding party north to Brieg and Breslau. The ever-resourceful Lacy commanded this detachment.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoCbFDlr0punFVlUczqmgW3L9gLZ1I8jgWOBndEP2zLW3SzgUNJRSrvrRi-RiHdlxY28kIaPQlzWsZ0rRPxRAhKJEQS8HlJO04tBXuBhrktqcl4f_BN65Uv-p4fpWnzjRPxYHbm-5YCM/s1600/Neisse+Siege+Report+Week+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="676" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoCbFDlr0punFVlUczqmgW3L9gLZ1I8jgWOBndEP2zLW3SzgUNJRSrvrRi-RiHdlxY28kIaPQlzWsZ0rRPxRAhKJEQS8HlJO04tBXuBhrktqcl4f_BN65Uv-p4fpWnzjRPxYHbm-5YCM/s400/Neisse+Siege+Report+Week+3.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Neisse was now under serious attack, with the wet ditches slowly drying after the destruction of the sluices, and ~90,000 Austrians committed to the attack.<br />
<br />
The most decisive moment of this week, and possibly the entire campaign so far, did not occur on the battlefield, but in diplomatic correspondence between the Russian and Austrian courts. Intentionally or not, there was a implication that one side was shouldering more of the burden of the war effort. As a result, offense was taken on both sides, and correspondence between the two courts slackened. The Russians, on the verge of deploying a corps of reinforcements to the Austrian theater of war, redeployed those troops, regardless of the additional month of travel required to reach their new destination. Though individual generals in both camps maintained a warm correspondence, the two armed camps now seemed less inclined to cooperate. Both were now conducting more or less individual wars against the King of Prussia, with fewer shared objectives.<br />
<br />
The coming week would see the Austrians confronted on the battlefield by a Prussian Army for the first time, and some explosive developments at the siege of Neisse.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/04/syw-wargame-campaign-report-background.html">Background and Week 1</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/04/syw-campaign-report-week-2.html">Week 2</a><br />
<br />
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Thanks for Reading, </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Alex Burns</div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5744170830107487392.post-17393460371779584472020-04-29T14:19:00.000-04:002020-04-29T14:27:38.993-04:00SYW Wargame Campaign Report: Week 2<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52GAOZF0ZN5WYr9KFXNeXhQHyZGEtyGeJu8ue_Ds90q_Tfk8UNtlMIXkQLSwUZS970qGODsWtYodSR9QelPCdqK4SMrf5Fbfk0MqM-yvuqhjRxmMu8DMHrhNQAA250-aHHPerGhmI6JM/s1600/Neisse+Siege+Report+Week+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="676" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52GAOZF0ZN5WYr9KFXNeXhQHyZGEtyGeJu8ue_Ds90q_Tfk8UNtlMIXkQLSwUZS970qGODsWtYodSR9QelPCdqK4SMrf5Fbfk0MqM-yvuqhjRxmMu8DMHrhNQAA250-aHHPerGhmI6JM/s320/Neisse+Siege+Report+Week+2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Austrians besiege Neisse (drawn on a digital copy of an archival map)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Dear Reader,<br />
<br />
Today, we are continuing the coverage of the Seven Years War campaign <a href="https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com/2020/04/syw-wargame-campaign-report-background.html">I have been running since the middle of March</a>. Today's report covers events between March 24th (the aftermath of the Battle of Posen) and March 31st. This week as a busy and eventful one. Only one small tabletop skirmish occurred, but there was much maneuvering, and the beginnings of an important siege operation.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpiLYFoTI3EZxoZZx-TwI8T6eVvwp8Tk56KumJlzI3kxKQ-UssflB5cZgAu5FlMcMo9G08p87jHG7UgaJRRtcxtX8y0K0uQNAiV3rR0mUud7maaeohWLQEXo9jC3qLQWjyCubHqU8s8T4/s1600/94960288_2529939940600937_5110642303463063552_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpiLYFoTI3EZxoZZx-TwI8T6eVvwp8Tk56KumJlzI3kxKQ-UssflB5cZgAu5FlMcMo9G08p87jHG7UgaJRRtcxtX8y0K0uQNAiV3rR0mUud7maaeohWLQEXo9jC3qLQWjyCubHqU8s8T4/s640/94960288_2529939940600937_5110642303463063552_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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In grand terms, this week saw the Austrians continue to develop their offensive in Upper Silesia, while raiding and gather intelligence at the county of Glatz. The Russians, after pausing to recover after their minor defeat at Posen, resumed their offensive, shifting forces westward in an effort to threaten Lower Silesia and Brandenburg. The Prussians, not to be outdone, shifted forces and prepared for another attack, and in the south, launched raiding efforts of their own.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimS8-z0yHyIbyrdIukLsfUARh_K-UuD3CVM_1v8cj50v3mJluYFFnszO0d01A3icXw7eFaU561M8jzCxmAthia79p0wz8O9yADb58KkBzQP-3-awJmfyMG6iDCJGKdIpTp_pf8fOadM6I/s1600/95259426_567196264216821_7103097041034674176_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimS8-z0yHyIbyrdIukLsfUARh_K-UuD3CVM_1v8cj50v3mJluYFFnszO0d01A3icXw7eFaU561M8jzCxmAthia79p0wz8O9yADb58KkBzQP-3-awJmfyMG6iDCJGKdIpTp_pf8fOadM6I/s320/95259426_567196264216821_7103097041034674176_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Beginning in the northern theater, the Prussian and Russian armies glowered at one another after the sharp but indecisive battle at Posen. After waiting out the period of enforced inaction after a indecisive battle like this, both the Prussians and Russians began moving south and west. The Russian main army, under the command of General Zahkar Tchernychev, moved forward towards Schwibus, reaching that city on the March 30th (Day 6 of Week 2). The Russian wounded, and the Corps of Observation, under the command of General Buturlin, advanced a few days later, reaching the neighborhood of Tirschtigel by Day 7.<br />
<br />
For their part, the Prussian army under King Frederick marched south along the road to Czempin, and reached area of Zullichau by Day 7. A smaller force under the dashing hussar General Ziethen, after rebuffing the challenge of a duel by a disgruntled Russian officer, rode to Kargow, reach that place and reunifying with the Royal Army by Day 7. The stage was set for a significant encounter, which would make Posen look like a mere opening skirmish.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lO_zeoBmq_eLhdpTHsSM_L5vNE6YD8vGsXdD8vcOvrK5ddOj1VtEkkrxKkI-3GjDX7XJFV-V6kdKNOYrk8yO9soYYbEGZSIAWo9r7cf_u2iAsgz_R9G4-UcXu1dZFWrkaLiytG6H-x0/s1600/94610240_280993449772829_4889423252604059648_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lO_zeoBmq_eLhdpTHsSM_L5vNE6YD8vGsXdD8vcOvrK5ddOj1VtEkkrxKkI-3GjDX7XJFV-V6kdKNOYrk8yO9soYYbEGZSIAWo9r7cf_u2iAsgz_R9G4-UcXu1dZFWrkaLiytG6H-x0/s400/94610240_280993449772829_4889423252604059648_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
In the southern theater, both armies maneuvered. The Duke of Bevern, after collecting reinforcements for his Prussian army at Schweidnitz, sent out a raiding party into Bohemia via the pass at Landshut-Trantenau (the slight a many a bloody encounter, both historical and wargame). This raiding party ended their advance at the city of Königgrätz, which although possessed of medieval walls, treated with the Hussars, and allowed them to occupy the city.<br />
<br />
The Duke of Bevern's main force, after completing taking on reinforcements, advanced into Lower Silesia by way of Reichenbach and Frankenstein. During this same week, the Austrian advanced into Upper Silesia with their main body, and the County of Glatz with a raiding party led by brilliant Franz Moritz von Lacy. The garrison of Glatz attempted to resist the passage of this raiding party, but were rebuffed and forced to withdraw inside the fortress after a minor skirmish.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7_PTrtCf2kHkfWBky-3vg8qCEicAu6IxB8mHyjgdXlEG3JIZs92UrfImHFLWs_Z9lcRNaU1EuvC25lpANeiTzXnuWOR0NFm2zXipn0alpxIKSI8X-lqo4ZiRIQt58TQIXutBPAz24m0/s1600/ACE16FB0-39DC-4577-B9F5-E522E5397D06.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7_PTrtCf2kHkfWBky-3vg8qCEicAu6IxB8mHyjgdXlEG3JIZs92UrfImHFLWs_Z9lcRNaU1EuvC25lpANeiTzXnuWOR0NFm2zXipn0alpxIKSI8X-lqo4ZiRIQt58TQIXutBPAz24m0/s400/ACE16FB0-39DC-4577-B9F5-E522E5397D06.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The skirmish between Lacy's forces and the Glatz Garrison</td></tr>
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Lacy's forces, after this skirmish, advanced to Frankenstein, but learning of Bevern's approach, immediately retreated to rejoin the main army at Neisse. Bevern, for his part, continued his advance into the County of Glatz. The Austrian main army, advancing in stages from Sternberg to Neisse, approached Neisse on March 29th (Day 5) and began siege operations. They called upon the commanding officer, <i>GL </i>von Tresckow, to surrender the place.[1]<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XhZ5hqlab_VAMad3euT1C8fjEqMjFFmp1oiDi9FruK_2PKMnOjaMd4sfXFyXAwKLJdJJYqQWkya3FxrR6vaM0BQCAnEWcC0_fRaR4VxB_fK6krukPHRpanEQ2kmXLs3akMjxj9lG6ps/s1600/Neisse+Siege+Report+Week+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="676" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XhZ5hqlab_VAMad3euT1C8fjEqMjFFmp1oiDi9FruK_2PKMnOjaMd4sfXFyXAwKLJdJJYqQWkya3FxrR6vaM0BQCAnEWcC0_fRaR4VxB_fK6krukPHRpanEQ2kmXLs3akMjxj9lG6ps/s400/Neisse+Siege+Report+Week+2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Having dealt with the formalities, the Austrians began the serious business of besieging the place, laying parallels and approaches, in two formal fronts of attack. The first was directed against Fort Preussen, north of the city, the second was directed against the southeastern defenses of the city.<br />
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The stage was set for confrontation in both the northern and southern theaters. Will General Tchernychev finally manage to put the Mayor of Berlin in his rightful place? How long can the valiant von Tresckow hold out in the face of Austrian depravity? Will Lacy finally be given the full command of a field army he so richly deserves? Tune in next week to find out.<br />
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Alex Burns</div>
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[1]<b>Daun wrote Tresckow: </b><br />
<br />
To the Esteemed GL Joachim Christian von Tresckow,<br />
<br />
It is an honor to be facing such a worthy opponent as yourself in this current campaign. However, you must surely see that before you lies a mighty host, innumerably greater than that of your own. Though you must do your duty to God and King, perhaps another time and place would be more fitting for your admirable skills. You must surely know that this is an inescapable conclusion. The city you occupy rightfully belongs to my Empress, Maria Theresa, and she will stop at nothing to reclaim what is rightfully hers. As leader of her army I have been entrusted to accomplish this task. It would be foolhardy to resist such great power with so little force at hand. War is a bloody and destructive affair; I plead for civility and to avoid needless, wanton death and carnage.<br />
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To demonstrate my civility and magnanimity I offer you generous terms. Surrender your garrison at once and I will allow you an honorable withdrawal. Your men may take personal items and their arms, in addition to one, singular cannon as a token of honor. You will be allowed free passage northward and will carry a note from me to your King. All roads to east and west are guarded, and any attempt to join your force with that in Glatz or Kosel will be deemed a violation of our terms and met with hostility.<br />
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I give you to the end of this day to make your decision. If you decline this generous offer, or fail to respond in time, I will retake this city by any means necessary. I cannot safeguard you or your men in such a case. You are isolated with no chance of reinforcement. The choice now lies at your feet: save yourself and your men to fight another day, or risk your lives in a pointless show of honor. Heed my mercy or face my wrath."<br />
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With Respect,<br />
<br />
Feldmarshal Graf Leopold von Daun<br />
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<b>Tresckow replied: </b><br />
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To the Highborn Lord and Feldmarschall Graf Leopold von Daun,<br />
<br />
The honor to face a worthy opponent is mine. Your reputation as a skilled warmaster has gone far and wide throughout the empire. The claims of your exalted mistress, Empress Maria Theresa, are in contradiction with those of my Royal Master, King Frederick II of Prussia. He was awarded this city under treaty of Breslau, and confirmed in the treaty of Dresden. You are trespassing in this country, and should return to whence you came.<br />
<br />
At this time, I must refuse your terms. I have the earnest prospect of relief for this fortress, and as a result, it would be a betrayal of my prince's trust to surrender at this early date. However, before the commencement of the hostilities, I must ask that we come to some agreement regarding the treatment of wounded and prisoners. I will feed your prisoners and administer medicine to your wounded if you will agree to the same. I look forward to your response, and to making your acquaintance as a friend. With the greatest esteem,<br />
<br />
Generalleutnant Joachim Christian von Tresckow<br />
<br />Alex Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12276532855224897550noreply@blogger.com0