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Updated: June 18, 2025
A Count von Schmettau, two Brothers von Schmettau, here in the Austrian service; superior men, Prussian by birth, and very fit to be acquired by and by; these the Crown-Prince had already noticed in this Rhine Campaign, having always his eyes open to phenomena of that kind.
The King, not quite by the Prince's choice, has given him Winterfeld for Mentor; Winterfeld, who has an excellent military head in such matters, and a heart firm as steel, almost like a second self in the King's estimation. Excellent Winterfeld; but then there are also Schmettau, Bevern and others, possibly in private not too well affected to this Winterfeld.
"Be thankful you have not had your head struck off by sentence of Court-Martial," answered Friedrich. Schmettau, after some farther troubles from Court quarters, retired to Brandenburg, and there lived silent, poor but honorable, for his remaining fifteen years.
Considerable flurry, temporary blindness, needless hurry, and neglect of symptoms and precautions, must be imputed to poor Schmettau; whose troubles began from this moment, and went on increasing. The Austrians are already besetting Elbe Bridge, rooting up the herring-bone balks; and approaching our Block-house, sooner than was expected. But that is nothing.
"SATURDAY, 8th, at 5 in the morning, Schmettau, with goods and people, does at last file out: across Elbe Bridge through the Neustadt; Prussians five deep; a double rank of Austrians, ranged on each side, in 'espalier' they call it, espalier with gaps in it every here and there, to what purpose is soon evident. But that of Borck or his Limners is not the point.
DRESDEN, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8th; EXIT SCHMETTAU. "A thousand times over, Schmettau must have asked himself, 'Why was I in such a hurry? Without cause for it I, only Maguire having cause! The Capitulation had been ended in a huddle, without signature: an unwise Capitulation; and it was scandalously ill kept.
'Wish the gentleman good-evening, orders Schmettau; 'and say we will answer with 100 guns. Upon which Guasco vanishes; but returns in not many minutes, milder in tone; requests 'a sight of that Written Paper of Terms again. 'There it still is, answers Schmettau, 'not altered, nor ever shall be. And there is Armistice again: and the Siege, as turns out, has fired its last shot; and is painfully expiring in paroxysms of negotiation, which continue a good many hours.
Winterfeld and the Prince are both dead; Schmettau is fallen into disaster; Goltz is still in good esteem with the King. A stalwart, swift, flinty kind of man, to judge by the Portraits of him; considerable obstinacy, of a tacitly intelligent kind, in that steady eye, in that droop of the eyebrows towards the strong cheek-bones; plenty of sleeping fire in Lieutenant-General Goltz.
Beyond his own Walls, the world is a vacancy and blank to Schmettau, and he seems content it should be so. "SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2d. Though Schmettau's cannonade was very loud, and had been so all night, divine service was held as usual, streets safe again, Austrians, I suppose, not firing with cannon.
"Schmettau," said he, "Death avoided me so long as I was on the battle-field, now I bear him along with me; and thus must it be, till the pale king of terrors carries me to another world." He turned his eyes away from the Prussian camp, and rode slowly to Bautzen. A few hours later a courier rode into the camp. He came from Bautzen, and had a letter from the Prince of Prussia to his royal brother.
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