Books: NAPOLEON AND BLUCHER

L >> L. Muhlbach >> NAPOLEON AND BLUCHER

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47

This question, which was addressed to a by-stander, with utter
disregard of etiquette, caused the blood of the courtiers to freeze,
and made Field-Marshal Kalkreuth turn purple with anger. The Emperor
Alexander, however, burst into loud laughter, and, turning to the
king, he whispered to him in a hurried, low voice, "You are right,
sire, Blucher is a mad-cap, a genuine hussar, always ready to
charge!" The king nodded, and as Alexander laughed, he forced
himself also to smile a little. Field-Marshal Kalkreuth responded to
Blucher's question only by a quick, angry glance and a gentle bow.
"Well," said Alexander, turning again to Blucher, "I am satisfied,
however, that you did not belong to the three-fourths of the Germans
that hated and loved according to the wishes of the Emperor
Napoleon, general?"

"No, your majesty," exclaimed Blucher, "I have always belonged to
his most consistent and implacable enemies, though I really owe him
a great deal--nay, almost my life."

"How your life?" asked Alexander, in amazement. "Did the emperor
ever save you from peril?"

"Yes, your majesty," said Blucher, casting a quick and fiery glance
around the large circle of his audience, "the Emperor Napoleon did
save me from a danger menacing my life. For, ever since the
disastrous days of Tilsit, I was near dying of grief at the
misfortunes of Prussia; and when our noble and august Queen Louisa
died--our queen, who was so true and patriotic a German lady, and
whose heart had been broken by the calamities that had befallen
Prussia--I really thought a dagger had pierced my heart, and I would
have to bleed to death. But then I comforted myself by remembering
that Napoleon still lived, and that I ought to live, too, in order
to see the day when the tyrant would be brought to judgment, and I
felt strengthened by the conviction that God had destined me to be
the instrument by whom He wanted to destroy Napoleon, and that I was
intended to assist in delivering Germany and avenging Queen Louisa;
and this thought, sire, kept me alive, invigorating and
strengthening me; it rendered me again so young and ardent that I am
yearning for the fray like a war-horse that has heard the bugle-
call."

A murmur of applause was heard, and only the feeling of awe inspired
by the presence of the two sovereigns seemed to restrain a
tumultuous outburst of general sympathy. Every one looked with proud
and joyful glances now at the aged general, whose noble face was
full of courage and determination, and again at the Emperor
Alexander, who seemed to contemplate the intrepid soldier with a
sort of amazement. A brief pause ensued, when the king approached
Madame von Blucher, standing by the side of Scharnhorst. "Good-
evening, madame," said the king, in a loud and somewhat harsh voice;
"please tell me how old General Blucher is."

"Your majesty," said Madame von Blucher, making a profound
obeisance, "according to his heart and strength, he is a youth;
according to his certificate of birth, he is seventy-one years old."

"So old!" said the king; "Blucher so aged a man! But, it is true,
his tongue is that of a stripling."

"Your majesty," said Blucher, quickly turning, "may it please the
good God and my king to give me an opportunity to refute my
certificate of birth, and to prove that I am a vigorous, courageous
lad, who knows how to use his sword as well as his tongue!"

"It is not sufficient, however, to know how to use the sword and the
tongue, but one must know, too, how to restrain both," said the
king, quickly turning and beckoning Field-Marshal Kalkreuth to his
side, with whom he commenced chatting.

The Emperor Alexander laid his hand hastily on Blucher's shoulder,
as if to soften and restrain the impending outburst of the general's
anger, and, looking with a kind smile into his flushed face, he
said: "restraint is not what suits you? Your motto is, 'Always
forward!' And you believe it is time that all Germany, myself, and
my army, should adopt this motto? Well, perhaps you are right, my
dear general. At all events, it will be seen soon who are right,
those who wish to procrastinate, or those who are in favor of
immediate and decisive action."

He nodded pleasantly to Blucher, and then called General Scharnhorst
to his side, turning, like the king, back to the audience-room. The
guests who had crowded in breathless silence into the middle of the
hall, dispersed again and returned to the adjoining rooms. Blucher
escorted his wife to the gallery occupied by ladies, and then
followed the burgomasters, who had solicited the honor of conducting
him to the supper-room.

Frederick William's brow was gloomy and clouded, and he was even
graver and more reticent than usual. He retired into the background
of the room, addressing only now and then a few quick words to
Field-Marshal Kalkreuth, who stood by his side. Alexander's
countenance was serene and pleasant, and a smile played round his
lips while he conversed eagerly with General Scharnhorst.

"You say, then, that Stein is of the same opinion?" asked Alexander,
thoughtfully. "He thinks, too, that General Blucher should be
preferred?"

"Yes, sire," said Scharnhorst, "this is the opinion of Minister von
Stein, and, I may add, the opinion of every Prussian who has the
happiness and greatness of the fatherland at heart. Sire, those who
are in favor of a timid and vacillating policy, who would like to
negotiate and compromise, who still believe in the possibility of a
reconciliation with France, who still think that the pen should
smoothen the rugged path before us, or unravel the knot of our
difficulties--those cowardly, grovelling hearts are the real enemies
of our cause, and more dangerous than Napoleon with all his armies.
For they are weighing down our courage, paralyzing our arms, and
stifling our enthusiasm. But for them the king, who, in his modesty,
is utterly unaware how fiery a soul, how great a heart he is
possessed of, would have long since concluded an alliance with your
majesty. But the king is unfortunately so modest that he distrusts
himself, and subordinates his own opinion to that of his old and, as
he believes, well-tried and faithful advisers. Now, these advisers
are to blame for all the misfortunes of Prussia; they inveigled us
into the alliance with France; they caused us to adhere to it, and
would even now like to force us back into it. They would stifle the
fire of patriotism because they are afraid lest it annihilate them
and destroy their unworthy efforts. For this reason Blucher, with
his heroic soul, is as much an eyesore to them as Stein, with his
plans of liberation and his energetic action for constitutional
reform. One wishes to create a new Prussia, the other a new state,
and both these ideas are utterly distasteful to some, for they cling
to the rotten old system, and new things fill them with terror."

Alexander listened to the words of Scharnhorst with the liveliest
attention, and looked down musingly.

"Listen, general!" he said, in a low and hurried voice, glancing
around the room as if to convince himself that no one could overhear
his words, "reply honestly and sincerely to the following question:
Is the King of Prussia sufficiently strong to cope with France for
any length of time?"

"No," said Scharnhorst, firmly. "The army the king could place in
the field would not be able to achieve a single victory over
Napoleon. But the Prussian nation is strong, and arming itself for a
struggle in which it will triumph, because no army can resist the
will of a united people, and because God is an ally of the nations
fighting for their liberty and their princes; but he who is
audacious enough to endeavor to stifle the flame of this national
enthusiasm, instead of bearing it aloft like an oriflamme in the van
of the great army of liberation, would render himself guilty of a
fearful sin. Prussia will conquer with her whole people, but she
will succumb if she relies only on her army."

"It is true," said Alexander, thoughtfully, "the Prussian nation has
manifested of late a wonderful enthusiasm, and has risen as one man.
It has risen for its king and its honor, and--do you not believe
that it will fight equally well for both, whether Tanentzien,
Kalkreuth, or Blucher, be its chieftain?"

"No, sire," said Scharnhorst, quickly; "I know that it will not. The
people, with their quick and unerring instinct, know those very well
in whom they may confide, and I request your majesty to take
graciously into consideration that it is this time the people that
must render Prussia victorious. It is true, the regiments of
volunteers that have already been organized would not disband, even
though Kalkreuth or Tanentzien should be appointed general-in-chief
of the Prussian or Silesian army, but the regiments that have not
yet been organized and equipped will hesitate and retire, unless
they know that a general will command them who has sworn unending
hatred to the Emperor Napoleon, and who will die a thousand times on
the battle-field rather than conclude peace and a new alliance with
him. Now, such a general is Blucher, the youth of seventy, a modern
knight 'without fear and without reproach.' If he stands at the head
of our army, the Prussian people will rally exultingly round the
standards, and the diminished regiments be replaced by new ones that
will rush into the field, because they know that there is at their
head a hero in whose breast there is room for only two sentiments--
love of country and hatred of the French; and who serves, without
fear, his God, his king, and his fatherland, impelled by this very
hatred and love, without any secondary motives--nay, perhaps, even
without personal ambition."

"If Blucher is really such a hero as you depict him," cried
Alexander, "it would be a crime not to place him at the head of the
Silesian army. Had you told the king all you have told me, he would
certainly not have hesitated a moment as to the general who should
be appointed commander-in-chief."

"Sire, I did tell him all that my heart and my head prompted me, and
to-day at noon I was still convinced that the king would appoint
General Blucher as soon as he should have satisfied himself that he
thereby would not act contrary to the will and wishes of your
majesty. But the little scene at the hall a few minutes ago has
unfortunately shaken my conviction, for the king seemed offended at
the rough and somewhat impetuous bearing of the hussar general."

"And this very bearing of the hussar general, as you call Blucher,
has impressed me very favorably, for he who relies so firmly on his
own strength must feel sure of victory. I like to see, towering
above the crowd of the fawning courtiers surrounding us, men who do
not bend their backs, nor sink into the dust, before our so-called
'divine rights,' but who stand erect, and fear no one, because they
are true to themselves."

"If that is the opinion of your majesty, then I am at liberty to
confess that I share it," said a voice behind him; and when the
emperor turned, he met the smiling gaze of the king, who had
approached during the conversation with Scharnhorst, and, as he did
not wish to interrupt it, listened to its conclusion without being
noticed by the two speakers.

"What!" asked Alexander, offering his hand to the king. "Your
majesty, then, is of my opinion--you like, too, the men who
sometimes allow us to see their brow instead of their reverentially-
bent back, and who tell us the truth instead of those eternal,
perfumed flatteries?"

"Certainly, sire," said the king, gently bowing his head. "It is
true, the truth is sometimes a somewhat bitter medicine, but it
restores our health, while sweet flatteries spoil our taste and ruin
our stomach."

"And we must really have a healthy stomach to digest the hard fare
of these times!" exclaimed Alexander, smiling. "Scharnhorst thinks
that Blucher would be a good physician for our stomachs. That is
your opinion, general, is it not?"

"Sire, he is at least a physician who will not resort to
palliatives," said Scharnhorst, "but will immediately try to
eradicate the evil by a thorough operation."

"But I have been told that a great many patients have died in
consequence of operations, when they might have lived a long time if
they had borne their ills with patience and resignation," said the
king, growing again gloomy and thoughtful.

The emperor laid his hand on the shoulder of his royal friend. "But
who would prefer a life on the sick-bed to the quick and glorious
death of a hero on the field of honor?" he said, feelingly. "Not
you, my august friend, I know; and even better than to me it is
known to the angel who is hovering over you, and whose earthly eyes
were closed in grief. But," Alexander interrupted himself, "these
are thoughts that are unsuitable for a festival, and I beg your
majesty's pardon for having ventured to indulge in them."

"Still, they are the thoughts that always accompany and never leave
me, sire," said the king. "True, I have overcome my grief, but I
will never learn to forget. At the present time I am thinking of my
Louisa with redoubled longing. How her heart would have rejoiced
over the renewal of an alliance which she so fervently desired, and
how the noble spirit of the nation would have delighted and inspired
her!"

"The noble queen, I believe, was also a warm friend of General
Blucher, was she not?" asked the emperor, after a pause. "I believe
she belonged to those who expected a great deal from him, and
thought him a hero and a powerful enemy of Napoleon? Is it not so,
sire?"

"Yes," said the king, thoughtfully, "the queen had a great regard
for Blucher, and considered him a brave and faithful patriot."

"And what did she think of Field-Marshal Kalkreuth?" asked
Alexander, with seeming carelessness. "Did he belong to those, too,
in whom the queen confided, and from whom she expected the salvation
of the fatherland?"

The king quickly looked up and met for a moment the searching gaze
which the emperor fixed on him. Frederick William smiled, and
inclined his head, as if he well understood the emperor's question.
"No," he said, "Queen Louisa rarely approved of the views of the
field-marshal, and although she felt high esteem for the general who
had already shown himself a brave man under the great Frederick, she
did not agree with the predilection he manifested for the Emperor
Napoleon and his invincible armies."

"A predilection," exclaimed Alexander, smiling, "which I believe the
field-marshal has not yet got rid of, notwithstanding the experience
which Napoleon gained on the battle-fields of Russia."

"On the same battle-fields on which your majesty gathered new
laurels," said the king, bowing slightly.

"And now there will spring up real laurel-woods for your majesty
here in Germany!" exclaimed the emperor. "The only question for us
now is, to find the right sort of gardener who knows how to
cultivate them. But, I repeat, our thoughts are not suitable to this
festival. Come, sire, permit me to offer you my arm as your
cavalier, and to conduct you to the buffet, for how exalted soever
our position may be, we must not forget that we are men, and that
our stomachs sometimes need food."

He offered his arm to the king, and conducted him to the small
supper-hall adjoining the audience-room. The gentlemen who were
present followed them, and the chamberlains hurried to the sideboard
to have supper served up to the two sovereigns.

CHAPTER XXX.

THE APPOINTMENT.

Alexander took a seat by the king's side at the small table, loaded
with a heavy gold service, set for them alone near the door, which
was covered with a heavy portiere, and led into the large supper-
hall. The emperor and the king had just put upon their plates some
of the appetizing pate de foie gras which the master of ceremonies
himself had served up, and were proceeding like other mortals to
consume them with great relish. The cavaliers, improving the
opportune moment of silence, stood about the room and partook of the
viands taken from the sideboard. Suddenly this silence was
interrupted by a voice which was not uttered in the room itself, but
swept through it like the blast of a trumpet: "If this hesitation
and vacillation continue, all is lost; and it would then be better
for us to throw ourselves immediately at the feet of Bonaparte, and
crave quarter, than unnecessarily spill the precious blood of the
people, and at last submit. He who does not advance goes backward
without noticing it, and he who is not courageous enough to attack,
is vanquished even before his adversary has forced him to battle."

"Why," exclaimed Alexander, smiling, "these are sentences that
remind me of General Blucher."

"Your majesty is right, it is his voice," said the king; "he will
give vent to his indignation, and, perhaps, at our expense. Let us
not listen to him."

"On the contrary, I beg your majesty's kind permission to listen,"
said Alexander, pleasantly. "There is in the words of the general
something that is as refreshing as a pure wind dispelling unhealthy
vapors. Ah, hear him, sire; his tones are roaring like a hurricane."

In fact, the voice in the adjoining room had grown more violent, and
the Emperor Alexander was seated in such a manner that he could
distinctly hear every word uttered:

"What! you really believe it to be possible that they will appoint
Field-Marshal Kalkreuth general-in-chief, and intrust our young and
splendid army to him? Great Heaven! do they not know, then, that
Kalkreuth, however excellent a man and brave a soldier he may be, is
not fit to confront Napoleon? Is it not a matter of notoriety that
the field-marshal loves and admires Bonaparte, and that he considers
a rupture with France a great calamity for Prussia? How could he
ever win a battle who could never look straight forward at the
battle-field, but would squint sideways to see what faces Napoleon
would make, and whether he would not frown at the audacity of the
Prussians, who dare try to defeat the great Napoleon? We need a man
with a direct look--one who fixes both his eyes on the object. We do
not want any schielwippen! They may all go to the mischief, for one
never knows what they are about! I repeat, we need a man with a
straight look!"

"What is that? schielwippen?" inquired the emperor, smiling. "I
thought I had learned the German language pretty thoroughly from my
mother and my wife, both of whom have the honor of being natives of
Germany, but I have never heard this word from them. Pray, sire,
tell me what it means."

"I must confess that I do not understand it either," said the king,
shrugging his shoulders.

"General Scharnhorst!" cried the emperor. "Pray can you tell us what
schielwippen means?"

"Sire," said Scharnhorst, laughing, "it is a slang term for a man
who squints. General Blucher likes to use the language of the
people."

"Well, the Prussian people have recently used such grand and
magnificent language," said Alexander, "that we may say with heart-
felt conviction, 'Vox populi vox Dei!' and that it reflects great
credit on Blucher, if it is true that he speaks like the people.
But, hush! what does he say now?"

"The cowards have brought all our misfortunes upon us!" thundered
Blucher's powerful voice. "The hesitating men who always wish to
patch up and stop the holes, instead of tearing down the old ruin
and building a new house, are our curse, and have always involved
Prussia in untold calamities. When I think of them I would like to
have them here, to treat them as Jahn treated the other day one of
the Turners at Berlin. Do you know the story?"

"No," shouted several voices, "we unfortunately do not."

"Well, I will tell it to you. Jahn went with his pupils down the
Linden to the Brandenburg gate to perform the usual gymnastic
exercises on the drill-grounds outside the city. On the way he
happened to cast his eyes on the gate, where the Victoria formerly
stood, and which the French stole and carried off to Paris. Jahn,
like every honest man who looks at the gate, felt his heart swell
with anger. He turned to the boy who was marching by his side and
asked him, 'What stood formerly over the pillars of the gate'?'--
'The Victoria,' said the boy.--'Where is it now?' inquired Jahn.--
'It is in Paris, where the French carried it.' Jahn asked again,
'What do you think when looking up to the vacant place on the top of
the gate?'--'Well,' said the boy, with great composure, 'what should
I think? I think it is a pity that the Victoria is no longer there.'
And when he said so, Jahn lifted up his hand and slapped the boy's
face. 'You should think that we will fetch back the Victoria, you
monkey!' he shouted. That is the whole story, but I remember it
whenever I see these dear tame men who merely say, 'It is a pity
that we have been so unfortunate!' and whose hearts feel only a mild
regret instead of the most ardent revenge. And then my hand itches,
and I would like to lift it up, like Jahn, and slap their faces."

"Your Blucher is a splendid hussar," said Alexander, looking at the
king. "I believe it is dangerous to stand before him when his hand
is itching."

"Yes, his hand has been itching from the days of Jena," exclaimed
the king, smiling. "He has been anxious to fight ever since. For
this reason I gave him the estate of Kunzendorf, and sent him
thither. I thought he would there quietly cure himself; but it seems
it was in vain; my expectations have been disappointed. I believe
his hand is incurable."

"Your majesty, therefore, had better yield to him, and allow him to
fight," said Alexander, almost entreatingly. "The opportunity is
excellent at the present time. If you place him at the head of the
Silesian army, he will no longer slap the faces of his friends and
neighbors on the right and left, but will rush forward and stretch
out his itching hand to deal the French terrible blows."

"I am only afraid he would be too rash in his wild hussar spirit,"
said the king, "and spoil every thing by trying to tear down all
barriers."

"A man should be placed by his side who knows how to check his
boldness," exclaimed Alexander--"a man who does not stifle Blucher's
ardor, but gives it the true direction."

"But where shall we find such a one?"

"I believe your majesty may find him close by," said Alexander,
pointing to Scharnhorst, who was leaning against the portiere.

"Ah, sire," cried the king, almost merrily, "I believe yon are a
magician, and understand my most secret thoughts. Scharnhorst has a
great mind, and I owe him much. If he would take upon himself that
difficult and ungrateful part by the side of Blucher, I believe the
general's impetuosity would be less dangerous."

"Your majesty, please ask him whether he will or not," said
Alexander.

The king called Scharnhorst to his side. "You have influence over
General Blucher, have you not?" he asked, hastily.

"I may say, at least, your majesty, that General Blucher is
convinced of my love and devotion, and that he confides a little in
me."

"Could you make up your mind to occupy a secondary position by his
side, and, if I should appoint Blucher general-in-chief of the
Silesian army, become his chief of staff?"

"Your majesty," exclaimed Scharnhorst, "I would deem it a great
honor to serve under the heroic old man, and I am certain that with
him I would enter upon a glorious career, particularly if your
majesty should grant me a request."

"What is it? Speak!"

"If your majesty should condescend to place General Gneisenau, who
will arrive to-morrow, as quartermaster-general."

The king nodded. "You have selected a noble companion," he said,
smiling.

"It will be a splendid trefoil, it seems to me," cried the emperor.
"Blucher, Scharnhorst, and Gneisenau! They are three well-sounding
names! But listen, sire, Blucher is still thundering. There is a way
to calm this tempest."

"What is it?" asked the king, smiling.

"Your majesty ought to be so gracious as to send for General
Blucher, and tell him that you wish to confer upon him the command-
in-chief of the Silesian army."

"You advise me to do so, sire?" inquired the king. "Your majesty, in
counselling this, gives up no wish?"

"Yes, I do," said Alexander, smiling. "I should wish to see General
Tanentzien appointed commander-in-chief, just as your majesty
probably would prefer to bestow this position on Field-Marshal
Kalkreuth. Let us both, therefore, sacrifice our wishes to the great
object for which I now believe Blucher to be the proper instrument."

"So let it be, your majesty," exclaimed the king. "I will send for
Blucher." he beckoned to Scharnhorst to approach again. "Pray go and
fetch your friend, General Blucher," said the king, rising, like the
emperor, from the table.

"And I beg leave, while the general goes into the hall, to cast a
glance into the next room, to see what Blucher is doing," said the
emperor. "Now draw the portiere back, General Scharnhorst, and stand
there. In this way I am able to survey the whole hall."