"W. Sioberl .KHisher . 20 . Great MarQiorOTiglL Streeb. 
 
REVELATIONS 
 
 or 
 
 HUNGARY; 
 
 LEAVES FROM THE DIARY OF AN AUSTRIAN OFFICER WHO 
 SERVED DURING THE 
 
 LATE CAMPAIGN IN THAT COUNTRY. 
 
 BY 
 
 THE BARON PROCHAZKA. 
 
 WITH A MEMOIR OF KOSSUTH. 
 
 LONDON : 
 WILLIAM SHOBERL, PUBLISHER, 
 
 20, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET. 
 1851. 
 
LONDON : 
 
 JV1YERS AND CO., PRINTERS, 37, KING STREET, 
 
 COVENT GARDEN. 
 
 35 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The following pages are (with the excep- 
 tion of Kossuth's Memoirs) chiefly extracts 
 from a diary kept by the author during the 
 late Hungarian Campaign, throughout which, 
 as an officer in the Austrian Army, he took 
 an active part. This diary, as it may be 
 readily inferred, was written in German, 
 but without any view to publication. 
 
 The permission to translate this little 
 work from the inedited original just referred 
 to, was therefore conceded to me with some 
 ""luctance on the part of the writer, who 
 ared that his narrative might not be con- 
 sidered to possess sufficient importance to 
 entitle it to be placed before the public eye. 
 
 The interest which recent events in Hun- 
 gary have, however, awakened, not only in 
 England but in every part of the civilized 
 world, has encouraged me (the translator) 
 to put forth this volume of facts, the more 
 particularly since, up to the present moment, 
 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 scarcely any publication (with the exception 
 of a little work, entitled " Scenes of the 
 Civil War in Hungary") has issued from the 
 press on the side of loyalty. Thus, an impe- 
 netrable veil may still be said to hang over 
 the causes to which the late sanguinary 
 contest in Hungary may be traced. 
 
 It is to be hoped, however, that time will 
 reveal the truth, and prove the utter falsity 
 of the dark charges which have been pre- 
 ferred against the Austrian Army, and which 
 might have tended to tarnish its imperish- 
 able lustre and honour, if the source from 
 which they emanated were not defiled. Such 
 statements consequently deserve to be 
 treated rather with dignified contempt than 
 to be honoured by a notice which would be 
 conferring too great a distinction on the 
 calumniators in question. 
 
 If I have been tempted to add to the diary 
 a short biographical sketch of Kossuth — -" the 
 idol of the hour" — it is not that I, like his 
 worshippers, deem him worthy of mention, 
 or so important a personage as democrats 
 
PREFACE. V 
 
 make him, but simply because I could not 
 resist availing myself of the opportunity 
 offered, to lay before the British public a 
 few facts and particulars which may, in all 
 probability, have escaped the memory of those 
 who write in his defence. 
 
 Under these circumstances, my narrative 
 must naturally vary a little from the accounts 
 given by Kossuth's enthusiastic admirers; 
 and, although I am fully aware that my 
 statements may be received in a very dif- 
 ferent manner from those put forth by the 
 " advocates of rebellion ;" and am, therefore, 
 quite prepared to be severely censured by 
 partizans of the Kossuth faction, I have, 
 nevertheless, thrown down the gauntlet, and 
 shall consider myself amply rewarded, if I 
 succeed in shedding one ray of light upon a 
 subject over which so much darkness and 
 mystery have hitherto prevailed. 
 
 But though this volume may not be well 
 received by those who have favoured the 
 cause of the Hungarian rebels, I have been 
 taught to believe from my youth upwards, 
 
VI PKEEACE. 
 
 that in England alone, men may speak their 
 minds with impunity; and that the love o^ 
 justice and fair play, for which the English 
 are proverbial, will induce them, after all 
 they have heard and read in defamation of 
 the Austrian character, to hear the other side 
 of the question. " Audi alteram partem" is 
 indeed a maxim, without which no just and 
 true judgment of any matter can be arrived 
 at. I take it for granted, that a loyal Aus- 
 trian may not only be permitted to express 
 his opinion as well as a rebel, but may also 
 be allowed to place a little truth in pleasing 
 relief, beside the many fictions with which 
 the British public have been, from time to 
 time, so indiscriminately supplied, and there- 
 by imposed upon. 
 
 I claim the indulgence of my readers, if, 
 as an enthusiast in the cause of loyalty and 
 patriotism, I have attached too great an im- 
 portance to the following " Revelations" 
 relative to the late civil war in Hungary. 
 
 L. H. P. 
 
 London, November 3rd, 1850. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER 1. 
 
 Cracow as a Garrison — Anxiety of the Troops in general to 
 take an active part in the Italian Campaign— -Enthu- 
 siasm of the Regiment, on receiving orders to join the 
 Army in Hungary — My disappointment — Outbreak of a 
 Revolution in the Mining Districts . . 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Arrival at Tavorzno — Arrest of two Ringleaders — Attempt 
 to liberate them on the part of the Insurgents — Death of 
 a gens d'arme — A Polish Jew — The Jew's objection to 
 convey the dead body of the gens d'arme to Tavorzno — 
 Disloyalty of the Civil Authorities — My application for 
 a Reinforcement of Troops — Attack on a Public-house 
 — Skirmish at Guazalla — Address to the Authorities — 
 Last Measures — Return to Cracow -An interview with 
 two Ladies ...... 21 
 
Vlll CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Departure from Cracow — March to Priviczna — -Meeting 
 with two Imperial Couriers — Count Szirmay — Fee lings 
 of the Peasantry —Entry into Hungary — Arrival at 
 Lublo — Disloyalty of the Inhabitants — Kossuth's Ma- 
 noeuvres to win Proselytes to his cause — Attempt to 
 Seduce my Troops — Arrest of Two Citizens — Hospita- 
 lity of the Budlein Inhabitants — Arrival at Kasemark — 
 Mysterious Warnings — Unexpected Meeting with Sol- 
 diers of the Regiment — Their Complaints against the 
 Inhabitants — Interview with the Burgermeister — His 
 Arrest — Encampment — The Deputations — The Alarm — 
 Liberality on the part of the Inhabitants towards our 
 
 Troops in the Distribution of Wine — Baroness W 
 
 An Old Acquaintance — Important Information . 36 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Retreat to Winschensdorf — Arrival at that place -The 
 Landlord and his Bill arouse my suspicions — Ap- 
 proach of the Enemy— Removal of the baggage — Intre- 
 pidity of my servants — Pursuit by three Hussars — The 
 baggage and the Government money — The two pri- 
 soners — Their attempt to escape, and consequent death 
 
 — A sharp Skirmish — Count S wounded — His loyalty 
 
 — The Countess S My horse is shot — Narrow escape 
 
 from being killed myself — Bad leadership on the part of 
 the Magyars — Cruelty of the Hungarians towards their 
 
 prisoners — Count C 's dreadful death — Gorgey' 
 
 kindness to General Baron Goty — General Baron Goty 
 and Captain Baron Goty's death — The Dispatch — My 
 retreat to Altendorf — My position at Altendorf and 
 
CONTENTS. IX 
 
 Szomovce — The Enemy's approach — I receive Orders to 
 defend the Pass — Preparations to receive the Enemy — 
 Treachery of the Mayor of Altendorf — Salutation 
 between the Chief of the Guerilla Bands and myself — 
 The Enemy's attack — Skirmish at Szomovce — Retreat of 
 
 the enemy — Arrival of Captain H 's Guide to the 
 
 Russian Corps, under the Command of General Baron 
 Saas — My Departure from Szomovce — The Estafette — 
 
 Counter Orders — My application to General Baron S 
 
 — His Reply — I receive definite Orders to join the Bri- 
 gade of General Baron Bario — Arrival in Sandee — Un- 
 expected Meeting with Count S A Dinner-Party — 
 
 Introduction to several Hungarians — Their Complaints 
 against Kossuth — I join my Division at Sucho . 59 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The Cossack Troops — The Russian Cavalry — Seibusch — 
 A Day's Gaiety — A Night's Bivouac at Czaga — Arrival 
 at the Camp near Budatin — The Castle of Budatin — 
 Attack on the Castle — Its Defence and Destruction — 
 Sillein — The Cholera — Arrival of Two Cossacks at the 
 Camp — Reconnoitring Expedition — A Dinner Party of 
 Thirteen — Scenes in the Camp at Budatin — My de- 
 parture ..... 87 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Bicse — Trentschin — General Baron Benedek — Ruins of 
 Trents chin— The Drathbinders — Their Habits, Manners, 
 and Customs — Arrival at Tyrnau — Feldzeugmeister 
 Baron Haynau — An agreeable Surprise — Gorgey's at- 
 tempt to break through the line of the Waag — Pered 
 
X CONTENTS. 
 
 and Kiraly-New are taken by our troops — The enemy's 
 retreat to Negged — March to Presburg, and thence to 
 Altendorf— F. M. S. Count Schlick — I join ray regiment 
 at Croatich Kimling . . . . 112 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Arrival of the Emperor at the Camp — Distribution of Me- 
 dals — Position of the Allied Annies, and of the Insur- 
 gent Forces — Strength of the Insurgent Army— The 
 Chaplain's blessing — Battle of Raab— The Austrians 
 occupy the outposts of St. Iwan — A Visit to the Village 
 - March towards Gbngos— Camp at St. Janos— Battle 
 under the walls of Comorn — Occupation of the wood 
 between Acs and Comorn — Position of the Troops —A 
 Brother's Revenge — The Soldier's Death-bed — The cho- 
 lera — Battle of Acs — -Lieutenant Colonel B wounded 
 
 — The Author has a narrow escape — He takes the com- 
 mand of the Battalion — Another Miraculous Escape — 
 
 Dreadful fate of a Corporal — Death of Lieutenant 
 
 Bravery of the Austrian Troops — Feelings of the Army 
 towards his Majesty — The Insurgent Leaders' last remedy 
 to revive the ardour of their Troops — Death of an 
 Officer in the Emperor's suite — His Majesty's Aid-de- 
 camp is wounded . . . . 136 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Object of G-orgey as respects the battle fought on the 1 1th — 
 Klapka in command of the fortress of Comorn — March 
 to Pesth — Dreadful accident to a soldier — The Author 
 falls from his horse — Arrival at Puszta Torvort — March 
 to Bia — Entry into Pesth — Devastation of Pesth and 
 Ofen — Heroic defence of Ofen — Bombardment of the 
 
CONTENTS. XI 
 
 fortress — Deaths of General Hentz'i and Captain Schroder 
 — Colonel Alnock takes the command — The fall of Ofen 
 — Fearful barbarities committed by the insurgent troops 
 — Colonel Alnock — Massacre of four hundred men and 
 twenty officers by the insurgents on their entry into Ofen 
 — The camp at Kakos — Hardships endured by the troops 
 — Destruction of the wells — Fata morgana — Operations 
 of the Austrian army — The enemy's retreat to Szegedin, 
 which is taken by our troops — The enemy's retreat to 
 Szoreg, which is taken by assault — March to Nagy St. 
 Miklos 161 
 
 CHAPTEK IX. 
 
 St. Miklos — Kindness of the Inhabitants — Their Aversion 
 to Magyarism — Cruelty of the Hungarians — Destruction 
 of a Village by the Insurgents — Heart-rending Scenes — 
 The Church of St. Miklos— The Sexton's Account— The 
 Casino — The Next Morning — My Host's Liberality — My 
 Embarrassment — My Landlord's Daughter — Perjanos — 
 Szekusit- - Arrival of a Kussian Colonel — An Impromptu 
 — Dance — A Dream — Pursuit of the Enemy towards 
 Temeswar — Defence of that place — Hardships endured 
 by the Garrison — F. M. L. Baron Kinkowina — The 
 Relief of Temeswar— A Deathblow to the Insurgents 
 — Kossuth resigns . . . . 183 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Gorgey's Surrender at Villagos — Respective Position of 
 the Allied Imperial Forces and the Insurgent Army, 
 previously to the Surrender at Villagos — Position of 
 Arad at the Outbreak of the Revolution — Our Brigade 
 
Xll CONTENTS. 
 
 encamps before Arad — Negotiations relative to the 
 Surrender of the Fortress — The Last Outpost Skirmish 
 — Capitulation of Arad — Bern and Guy on-— The different 
 Insurgent Corps lay down their Arms — Count Vecsay 
 and his Troops — Departure of the Leaders of the Rebel- 
 lion for Turkey — General Panintin — Valour of the 
 Russian Troops — Surrender of Peterwardein — The 
 Austro -Russian Troops before Comorn — The Capitu- 
 lation of Comorn — Prince Paskiewitch and F. Z M. 
 Baron Haynau — Arrival of Gorgey's Corps at Arad — 
 Visit to the Prisoners' Camp — Captain M. — Madame M. 
 — Condition of the Insurgent Troops — Departure from 
 Arad — Arrival in Grosswardein — Baron B. — The Catho- 
 lic Bishop — Keszthely . . . 205 
 
 Memoir of Kossuth .... 233 
 
 *** F. M. L., in the course of this volume, signifies 
 Field-Marshal-Lieutenant, and F. Z. M., Fieldzensmeister, 
 or Master of the Ordnance. 
 
THE 
 
 CAMPAIGN IN HUNGARY 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Cracow as a Garrison — Anxiety of the Troops in general to 
 take an active part in the Italian Campaign— Enthu- 
 siasm of the Regiment, on receiving orders to join the 
 Army in Hungary — My disappointment — Outbreak of a 
 Revolution in the Mining Districts. 
 
 The years 1848 and 1849 are an epoch of such 
 importance in the history of Austria, and more 
 particularly in the annals of the Austrian Army, 
 that it will seem quite natural if we officers found 
 it difficult to await the moment which would call 
 us from the monotony of a garrison life to the 
 scene of war, in order that each might share the 
 laurels of a loyal and devoted army, and shed the 
 last drop of his blood in defence of the monarchy, 
 shaken to its very foundation by the intrigues of 
 a democratic faction. 
 
 B 
 
% THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 My regiment (Bohemian infantry) happened to 
 be one of those which was sent from Bohemia to 
 Poland, in the year 1846 ; since which time, Cra- 
 cow had been our sole quarters, to our great dis- 
 appointment. It has ever been the lot of Gallicia, 
 but more especially of late years, to be universally 
 dreaded by the army as their quarters, and many 
 would prefer being stationed in a Bohemian vil- 
 lage, rather than in a Gallician city. This aversion 
 to a country which boasts of magnificent scenery, 
 and is highly favoured by nature in many respects, 
 may be attributed to the want of society, and an 
 absence of cleanliness and comfort, which was 
 perhaps less felt in Cracow itself, the abode of 
 some of the most ancient Polish families, and 
 which still bears traces of its past grandeur. 
 
 The historical interest which the former resi- 
 dence of Poland's kings will ever possess, and the 
 splendid scenery around, render it one of the most 
 agreeable quarters, which may yet become the 
 best in Gallicia; not even excepting Lemberg, 
 provided that the social comforts increase. But, 
 at the period of my being quartered there, we 
 were thrown completely on our own resources, 
 and the gap existing in society previously to 1846, 
 
IN HUNGARY. 3 
 
 almost throughout Poland, was not likely to be 
 improved by the ill- concealed animosity of the 
 inhabitants towards us — who forgot that Cracow 
 with its territory, might be a free-state still, but 
 for their own folly. It would appear incredible, 
 if I were to give an account of the eccentric, 
 ludicrous, and sometimes unrefined demonstrations 
 of hatred, which even some of the fair sex evinced 
 towards us on our occasional meetings. Amused 
 at first, we soon became indifferent ; and, when 
 the inhabitants of Cracow saw that neither France 
 nor England meant to do more than to express a 
 polite regret at their deserved misfortunes, and 
 that the armies, which the meetings, speeches, and 
 debates held in England and France, seemed to 
 promise, dwindled down to a mere warfare of 
 words, their hatred assumed a milder form — the 
 promenades were more frequented, — our splendid 
 military bands were listened to with evident 
 delight —the ladies' tongues were restrained within 
 proper boundaries, and the casual glances of anger 
 bestowed on us by mothers, whose pretty 
 daughters did not think the Austrian officers such 
 savages as they had been represented to them, 
 alone reminded us that we were unwelcome in- 
 truders. 
 
 b 2 
 
4 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 Fascinating as Polish women generally are, we 
 yet kept aloof from them, with very few excep- 
 tions, for all amicable relations between the 
 military and the Polish gentry were interrupted 
 by the unfortunate rebellion of 1846; and we 
 knew that, notwithstanding the sweet smiles 
 lavished on us, hatred yet dwelt in their hearts ; 
 whilst we could hardly be expected to indulge in 
 an excess of good feeling towards the gentry of 
 Gallicia, who, in many parts, had looked forward 
 with peculiar delight to the pleasure of hanging 
 or stabbing us in the midst of a Mazurka. 
 
 The garrison of Cracow being quite strong 
 enough to make us independent of their society, 
 we established a casino exclusively for ourselves ; 
 and, with the exception of the young unmarried 
 officers, who felt the dearth of ladies extremely 
 on the occasion of a dance, we became accus- 
 tomed to our garrison, which was converted into a 
 military colony, patiently awaiting the day which 
 would bring us the route to a more friendly part 
 of the Austrian dominions, when the democratic 
 spirit, so openly manifesting itself throughout 
 Europe, threatened to disturb our peaceful life. 
 
 Those persons must have been blind, who did 
 
IN HUNGARY. 5 
 
 not see that for years past, democracy was under- 
 mining the quietude of Europe. The torch of 
 rebellion, ignited in France, was spreading with 
 the rapidity of lightning, and threatened to con- 
 sume Europe. Austria's ruin, in particular, was 
 universally predicted. Every other sovereign, 
 it was said, had a chance, except the Emperor 
 of Austria, whose empire was compared to a 
 piece of Mosaic, which must crumble to pieces 
 in the hands of the demagogues. We listened 
 with disdain to such assertions, for if we dwelt 
 on the possibility of a general rising, in remem- 
 bering the different nationalities that compose 
 Austria, it was but for a moment. Austria's 
 downfall can never be accomplished while her 
 army stands ; but, when the short-lived rebellion 
 in Vienna was followed immediately by that of 
 Lombardy, we felt that the hour of trial had 
 indeed struck for Austria, which had been pio- 
 phesied by so many, for the liberal constitution 
 granted, extending equal privileges to all the 
 different states of Austria, was far from satisfying 
 the malcontents. 
 
 Democratic emissaries of all nations were 
 busily employed in almost every town of the 
 
6 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 empire, exciting that class of abandoned, desperate 
 men with which great cities more or less abound, 
 to revolt. The people, excited to delirium by 
 concessions they had obtained, thirsted for still 
 further indulgences. It soon became obvious 
 that the blood shed in the streets of Vienna and 
 Milan was only the commencement of difficulties; 
 and so it proved, for the perfidious Charles Albert 
 invaded the plains of Lombardy to gratify his am- 
 bition, and to please the Republicans, in whose 
 hands he was a mere puppet. 
 
 It was generally presumed that the war in Italy 
 would not be of any duration, because the invasion 
 of Charles Albert was an aggression so flagrantly 
 unjust, that it demanded the censure of England 
 and France, the more so, since, if Austria had in- 
 vaded Piedmont, it would have been considered 
 a casus belli by the Allied Powers. We were, 
 therefore, quite unprepared to find that the King 
 of Sardinia's treachery towards Austria was not 
 only tolerated but favoured by those who would 
 have been the first to load us with execrations if 
 we had been the aggressive party. 
 
 It was a trying moment to be compelled to 
 remain in Poland, whilst our comrades were 
 
IN HUNGARY. 7 
 
 fighting in Italy for the just cause. It was mor- 
 tifying to be deprived of the honour of serving 
 under General Radetzky, the idol of our army, 
 and of the hope of crushing in the dust the pride 
 of the unfortunate Prince, whose black ingratitude 
 and glaring dishonesty towards Austria excited 
 our indignation to the highest degree, and had 
 duty and honour not bade us bide our time, we 
 had deserted, en masse, to Radetzky's banner. 
 
 Where is the soldier who does not look forward 
 with almost intoxicating delight to the prospect 
 of a war which may give him an opportunity of 
 distinguishing himself, and, at the same time, of 
 serving his country effectually, which in peace he 
 does only nominally ; of drawing with his feeble 
 arm the sword that is to uphold and to defend the 
 rights of his sovereign, and which, with its blood- 
 stained point, traces the triumph or defeat of a 
 nation in history ? The soldier may have ties 
 sweet and sacred ; but, in the moment when the 
 bugle of war sounds, those ties, however sweet 
 they may be, are rent asunder by the importance 
 and sacredness of the duty which calls him perhaps 
 to death. Yet no sadness mingles in parting 
 from those that are dear to us, albeit a feeling 
 
8 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 steals over us, that we may be destined never to 
 see those more whom we then press to the heart, 
 beating with anxiety to be at the theatre of war. 
 From the moment that Austria's difficulties 
 commenced, there was a change in our monoto- 
 nous course of life. The frivolous pursuits by 
 which we had whiled away many a tedious hour 
 ceased to possess any charm for us. Our superior 
 officers and generals met us with the gravity 
 called forth by stirring events ; whilst our young 
 officers, wild with joy, spoke of joining the army 
 in Italy as volunteers ; all was excitement and 
 expectation, as to what news the next day's post 
 might bring. The boudoir and the domestic 
 hearth alike lost their attractions for those who 
 could contemplate nought else than the difficulties 
 and perils by which their comrades were sur- 
 rounded in Italy. 
 
 The insulting joy testified by the inhabitants 
 at the outbreak of the w r ar, their exultation at 
 Sardinia's triumphs, and our defeats, did not es- 
 cape our notice. We knew what we had to ex- 
 pect ; and, as each post prepared us for still 
 greater events, we were on the qui vive. A sus- 
 picion flashed across the minds of many with re- 
 
IN HUNGARY. 9 
 
 gard to the army's remaining loyal, for all those 
 unacquainted with the spirit of the troops, 
 thought that, owing to the different nationalities 
 which compose the Austrian army, it might not 
 prove unlikely that each nation would hold with 
 the rebels of their respective countries. There 
 never was a more erroneous supposition ; and 
 those who built their hopes on our disloyalty, 
 had built on sand. We were as one man, one 
 mind, and one soul, from the general to the 
 private, from the prince to the commoner, and 
 when we could no longer conceal from ourselves 
 that the safety of the throne, and the welfare of 
 our country were at stake, we swore to protect 
 the rights of our sovereign, and to save our 
 country, or fall under its ruins. 
 
 When 500,000 men are ready to shed the last 
 drop of their blood for their sovereign; when 
 they enter the field with such indescribable en- 
 thusiasm, such unequalled spirit and devotion, as 
 those evinced by the Austrian army in 1848 and 
 1849, the downfall of a monarchy cannot easily 
 be accomplished. 
 
 In defending the throne and the integrity of 
 the empire with our heart's blood, we only ful- 
 
 B 3 
 
10 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 filled our duty : and although death to the dis- 
 honoured soldier who deserts his colours, was 
 our motto, at the same time it must be acknow- 
 ledged, that steadfast loyalty and deep devotion 
 to the sovereign could alone inspire us with that 
 death-defying courage which caused the private, 
 like the officers, to rush on with the cry of " God 
 save the Emperor, or let us perish." If our 
 gracious sovereign had perjured himself, or were 
 a despotic tyrant ; if, in fact, his Majesty had 
 been all that upstart adventurers and arrant trai- 
 tors proclaimed him to be, the army could no 
 longer honour, nor the peasantry stand up for, 
 their Emperor. 
 
 Base calumnies may yet be published with re- 
 gard to recent events in Austria, by those who 
 have perjured themselves. But there are facts, 
 which history will record long after we, as well as 
 the calumniators of Austria, have ceased to exist, 
 which will justify our country and our sovereign, 
 and cast back upon the slanderers the vile impu- 
 tations they have brought against us, and the 
 crimes with which they would fain have charged 
 us. The attachment of the rural population 
 throughout the Austrian empire during her trials, 
 
IN HUNGARY. 11 
 
 and the unequalled devotion of the army (with 
 but few exceptions) prove how unfounded is the 
 accusation of tyranny and despotism which has 
 been preferred against Austria by her enemies. 
 
 I shall pass over the uninteresting period 
 during which we were in a constant state of ex- 
 citement, for every day brought us news of the 
 birth of a new insurrection, the offspring of the 
 French Revolution, and inheriting the worst fea- 
 tures of its prototype. But the revolution in 
 Prague, like that of Vienna and Cracow, had been 
 successfully suppressed. Even Charles Albert 
 of Sardinia had received his due at our hands, 
 when suddenly the revolution of Hungary re- 
 kindled our excitement, where the enemy had 
 concentrated his forces, for Poles, Italians, 
 Germans, and Frenchmen made that unfor- 
 tunate country the plotting-ground for their mad 
 schemes. If we had looked forward with delight 
 to join the army engaged in the Italian war, 
 we viewed the civil war impending on Hungary, 
 with very different feelings. 
 
 The former called us to fight against, strangers, 
 and to chastise Charles Albert for his treacherous 
 invasion — the latter, to carry destruction into a 
 
\2 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 country we loved, and to fight against those whom 
 we had been accustomed to look on as brothers. 
 It was therefore natural, that at first a feeling of 
 sadness stole over us at the contemplation of an 
 internal war, from which we recoiled with horror, 
 in remembering how many sacred ties would be 
 rent asunder, how many brave comrades pierced by 
 a brother's arm, how many noble feelings would be 
 crushed, and how many evil passions conjured up, 
 ere the patriot could deluge his country with 
 blood, or the loyal become traitors. 
 
 We therefore watched the struggle with anxiety, 
 for it was not our lot to be among the first body 
 of troops whose loyalty was put to the test, but 
 when the bulletins of war, official statements, 
 and private letters, apprized us of Kossuth's 
 proceedings, our inmost souls were filled with 
 indignation towards one who had brought 
 so much misery and wretchedness over his 
 native land, and we hailed the order to join the 
 army in Hungary with unfeigned delight. 
 Private considerations were cast into oblivion by 
 the enthusiastic desire of standing by our injured 
 sovereign, and offering him our heart's best blood 
 to save Hungary, and to free her from the fetters a 
 democratic faction had attempted to rivet upon her. 
 
IN HUNGARY. IS 
 
 It would be impossible to describe the universal 
 enthusiasm of our regiment, when we received 
 orders, on the 15th of April, to march to the 
 Hungarian frontier, and to join the brigade under 
 the command of the gallant General Benedek, 
 who had distinguished himself so signally in 
 Gallicia and Italy. 
 
 A soldier only can understand the pleasure and 
 alacrity with which the preparations for the 
 campaign, including the purchase of horses, saddles, 
 and other indispensable necessaries, are made. A 
 thousand things are then bought that we deem 
 most requisite, quite forgetting how very seldom 
 it is granted to a soldier to think of comfort in 
 the turbulent life of war, and how rarely cir- 
 cumstances permit us to avail ourselves of the 
 things stowed away with so much care in our 
 portmanteaux, where we find them to our great 
 astonishment, on our return to a peaceful home, 
 without even having touched or thought of them.' 
 
 The excitement of our departure caused the 
 days to fleet past like hours, when, on the 10th, 
 I received the unexpected order to precede the 
 regiment by four days, and start on the llth, for 
 the purpose of regulating quarters for the brigade 
 
14 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 as far as the frontier. The twenty-four hours' 
 notice sufficed, and I congratulated myself on 
 being ready to set out at break of day, when a 
 brother-officer entered my room saying : a I have 
 news for you — the Poles have got up a rebellion, 
 in the territory (of Cracow). They stormed the 
 commissariat, with the view of liberating the 
 recruits that were already enlisted for the army, 
 attacked and shot the militia placed there to 
 guard them ; in fact, everything is topsy-turvy — 
 so much so, that the garrison here is confined to 
 
 barracks." I stood aghast, whilst my friend B 
 
 threw himself into a chair. 
 
 "It is only a fracas, depend upon it," I 
 stammered, " the gens d'armes will put it down." 
 
 " Not at all, you are quite mistaken, " replied 
 
 B ; " this rebellion, insignificant as it appears, 
 
 has its ramifications further than you think ; indeed 
 it is suspected to be in connection with the Hun- 
 garian insurrection. Field-Marshal Baron Lege- 
 ditsch has received an official announcement to 
 that effect." 
 
 I tried in vain to calm myself — I was gradually 
 getting into a rage with the Poles, my friend, and 
 everybody else. " Then," I exclaimed, " our 
 
IN HUNGARY. 15 
 
 march to Hungary is again frustrated." At this 
 moment, a sergeant entered with an order from 
 General Legeditsch, that he required my atten- 
 dance immediately. 
 
 I buckled on my sword, and, placing my cigar 
 case before my friend, followed the sergeant. I 
 hurried through the streets with an agitated 
 step, scarcely heeding the groups that were 
 conversing here and there. An incompre- 
 hensible something told me I should hear nothing 
 agreeable at the General's. At length, we reached 
 the Stradom,* where our Commander-in-Chief 
 resided, and, bounding up the long flight of stone 
 steps, I barely gave myself time to return the 
 sentry's salute. 
 
 The General received me gravely. All my 
 friend had said was perfectly true. An estafette 
 had reached him requesting immediate reinforce- 
 ments of troops, wherefore he had decided on 
 sending a company of my division at daybreak to 
 Chrzanow, and I was the unfortunate individual 
 selected to command this detachment. I must 
 confess that, having set my heart on marching 
 
 * The widest street in Cracow. 
 
16 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 with the regiment to Hungary, I did not appre- 
 ciate the honour which this command conferred 
 upon me ; it was ungrateful, I admit, but excusable 
 under the circumstances. I had so longed to 
 get away from Poland, and was so delighted at 
 the prospect of going to Hungary ; and, now that 
 my wishes were on the point of being fulfilled, 
 a street squabble brought all my ambitious 
 plans to nought on the very eve of my depar- 
 ture. 
 
 My friend, who awaited me at home, quietly 
 smoking a cigar, was assuredly not prepared for 
 the news which I was about to bring him, 
 and I really was not sorry to turn the 
 tables, and become the bearer of bad news to 
 him, who had seemed so very certain that this 
 rebellion would in no way affect him. 
 
 When I entered the room, his first words were, 
 " Well, what news ? " 
 
 " That a division* of our regiment remains in 
 Cracow, one company of which starts for Chrzanow 
 by a special train at daybreak." 
 
 "And the regiment ?" 
 
 * Three divisions form a battalion, two companies a division, 
 210 men constitute a company, the senior captain commands the 
 division. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 17 
 
 " Marches to Hungary," was my laconic reply. 
 
 " Which division goes ? " 
 
 " Mine," I answered. 
 
 Having indulged in a malediction on the Poles, 
 he hurried off to the barracks, whilst I set out to 
 order the special train. 
 
 It was no joke to rouse up the people at that 
 late hour, it being already past midnight. Never- 
 theless, I succeeded in awaking the lieutenant of 
 the gens d'armerie, and in obtaining from him the 
 necessary information as to who the different 
 parties were that I must apply to. After some 
 considerable difficulty, I made the requisite ar- 
 rangements for my departure on the following 
 morning, and repaired once more to Baron Lege- 
 ditsch, to receive my final instructions, having 
 done which I sought a few hours' rest, but in vain. 
 The equanimity of my temper had suffered too 
 severely, and notwithstanding the general's pro- 
 mise that I should join my regiment as soon as I 
 succeeded in restoring order in the territory, I 
 could not console myself at the mauvais tour fate 
 had played me, for the task was not at all to my 
 taste, being pretty sure that this band of scy themen 
 would give me infinitely more trouble than if I 
 
18 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 had disciplined troops to deal with. The cheering 
 prospect of beating the woods and bushes, in quest 
 of these rioters, whilst my comrades marched in 
 an opposite direction, where they would meet 
 with an enemy worth defeating, was not likely to 
 allow Morpheus to close my eyes in happy oblivion. 
 
 I therefore rose at three o'clock, and, at four, 
 started with my company, it having been deemed 
 expedient to leave the second company, com- 
 manded by Captain B -, at Cracow, to strengthen 
 
 the garrison, which had been considerably 
 weakened; for, besides our regiment, a battalion 
 of Parma Infantry, the artillery and the cavalry 
 regiment, Archduke Charles' Chevaux-Legers, 
 had received orders to march to Hungary. 
 
 Having availed myself of the railroad as far 
 as Trzebinia, I marched on foot to Chrzanow, 
 where the commissary of the district informed me 
 that from about 100 to 150 well armed men, led 
 on by Strzemetzki and Bachalla, who made every 
 effort to enlist the peasantry, had taken up a 
 position in the forest, and refused to surrender. 
 Their intentions were to way-lay the small military 
 detachments, in order to possess themselves of 
 their arms, and to march against Cracow with a 
 

 IN HUNGARY. 19 
 
 view of overpowering the garrison there, that 
 they might then join the insurgents, who were 
 every day expected to arrive from Hungary with 
 a force in aid of the Polish struggle to shake off 
 the dominion of Austria. 
 
 In the meantime, I received intelligence from 
 Tavorzno, a village about seven English miles 
 from Chrzanow, which had long been under sur- 
 veillance, owing to the notoriously bad spirit 
 existing* amongst the labourers of the well know T n 
 coal mines, to the effect that the people employed 
 there had ceased to work : and, having provided 
 themselves with arms of all descriptions, were 
 hastening to the assistance of the insurgents in 
 Chrzanow. Here was a sufficent proof that this 
 little rebellion, insignificant in the commencement, 
 and apparently only the result of the momentary 
 excitement caused by the first introduction of the 
 recruiting system in the territory of Cracow, was 
 a premeditated political rising, in close connection 
 with the Hungarian insurrection. It was there- 
 fore necessary that energetic and rapid measures 
 should be adopted, in order to crush the revolu- 
 tionary movement in its birth. . 
 
 From the moment that I became acquainted 
 
20 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 with the true state of things, the disappointment 
 of not marching to Hungary was forgotten, since 
 my task was far more important than was generally 
 believed. 
 
 Deeming it prudent to assure myself of the 
 truth of the reports made to me, previously to 
 commencing my operations, I determined to repair 
 to Chrzanow with the view of ascertaining the 
 strength of my enemy, and the whereabouts of 
 the ringleaders, whose persons I was naturally 
 desirous to get possession of with the least possible 
 delay. 
 
 I therefore divided my company into two de- 
 tachments, and, leaving one in Chrzanow, under 
 the command of an able officer, set out with the 
 other for Tavorzno. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 21 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Arrival at Tavorzno — Arrest of two Ringleaders — Attempt 
 to liberate them on the part of the Insurgents — Death of 
 a gens d'arme — A Polish Jew — The Jew's objection to 
 convey the dead body of the gens d'arme to Tavorzno — 
 Disloyalty of the Civil Authorities — My application for 
 a Reinforcement of Troops — Attack on a Public-house 
 — Skirmish at Guazalla — Address to the Authorities — 
 Last Measures — Return to Cracow -An interview with 
 two Ladies. 
 
 Upon my arrival at Tavorzno I found every- 
 thing in the greatest confusion, and the excite- 
 ment, which was momentarily on the increase, be- 
 came such that the officers employed in the mines, 
 for the most part Germans, ran a chance of being 
 murdered in broad day-light. 
 
 Seeing that there was not a moment to lose, I 
 issued an order to arrest a few of the ringleaders, 
 whom I immediately sent under an escort of six 
 men and a gens d'arme to Chrzanow. 
 
22 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 Towards evening, T was disagreeably surprised 
 by the announcement that the escort had been 
 attacked on their way home by about 130 armed 
 insurgents, and the gens d'arme shot, who having 
 made himself obnoxious by the zealous perform- 
 ance of his duty, became the first victim. 
 
 My soldiers seeing that the force opposed to 
 them left them no other alternative than to escape, 
 sprang on the carts which had conveyed the pri- 
 soners ; and, having fired a few shots at those 
 within reach, spurred their horses on, and suc- 
 ceeded in evading their pursuers. From the cor- 
 poral's report, I surmised that the insurgents might 
 yet be overtaken and prevented from reaching 
 Chrzanow. I therefore ordered my men out, and 
 went in pursuit of the lawless band, but though I 
 spent the greater part of the night in beating 
 about the wood from whence the attack had been 
 made, I was unsuccessful, and only fell in with 
 a few armed stragglers, one of whom was shot, the 
 group refusing to halt when challenged. 
 
 A comical scene occurred, when the employes 
 of the mines, hearing of the projected expedition, 
 for which I required all the troops that could be 
 spared, came to me in a body, begging to be per- 
 
IN HUNGARY. 23 
 
 mitted to accompany me, as they considered them- 
 selves exposed to the greatest danger, and felt 
 certain that, on the insurgents being informed of 
 my departure, they would enter the town and 
 murder them. 
 
 I endeavoured to assure them that their fears 
 were ungrounded, but in vain. I was eventually 
 compelled to give my sanction that these gentle- 
 men should accompany me. Half an hour after 
 the travesty, Bayards arrived, armed cap-a-pie, 
 requesting the honour to form the arriere garde, 
 and I do not believe that any inducement could 
 have brought them a la tete. 
 
 When my troops at length fired upon the few 
 insurgents we met with, my arriere garde thought 
 proper to retire further still, lest they should find 
 that death here which they sought to escape by 
 leaving Tavorzno. The first to return home, they 
 took care to boast of their heroic deeds, and are 
 to this day proud of being able to say that they 
 heard the balls whizz past them. On our way 
 back, we found the body of the poor gens d'arme 
 whom they had left in the middle of the road, 
 after having robbed him of every article of 
 dress. 
 
24 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 By a very singular chance, a Jew came up with 
 a cart at the same moment that I was about tc 
 give directions as to the mode of conveying the 
 body to Tavorzno, where I determined it should 
 be buried. 
 
 Alarmed at the unexpected meeting, the Jew 
 was about to turn his horse's head, when I called 
 upon him to halt. Taking off his greasy skull- 
 cap, he approached me with the cringing manner 
 peculiar to Polish Jews. 
 
 " Your cart is empty, I see ; at all events, 
 whether it is or not, you must take the corpse of 
 the gens d'arme to Tavorzno." 
 
 An expression of horror and of extreme fear was 
 depicted on the Jew's countenance as he began 
 to expostulate on the impossibility of his comply- 
 ing with my order, since it must taint the barrel 
 of brandy which he was conveying to Chrzanow, 
 and which would be left on his hands if it was 
 discovered that it had travelled in company with a 
 dead body. 
 
 I could scarcely refrain from laughing at the 
 strange figure of the Jew before me, who was now 
 clasping his hands in despair, then playing with his 
 long beard. Knowing the Jewish population to 
 
IN HUNGARY. 25 
 
 be anything but loyal, 1 cut the matter short by 
 ordering the barrel of brandy to be put on the 
 road, where I told him he might watch it till the 
 cart returned. This order had the desired effect, 
 for the Jew said that, as the barrel was closed, it 
 would not so much signify; and the body of the 
 unfortunate gens d'arme was placed on the cart 
 without any further objection on the part of its 
 owner, whose lamentations were truly amusing. 
 
 The next morning, I put the most stringent 
 measures, which the urgency of the case demanded, 
 into force ; and, having displaced the civil au- 
 thorities, who, being Poles, were discovered to 
 favour the movement, I succeeded in checking the 
 progress of the organized rebellion, without 
 having been able to strike a decisive blow at its 
 existence, because the military force at my com- 
 mand was insufficient to attempt an attack on the 
 different parts where the torch of sedition had 
 been ignited. It could scarcely be expected that 
 an infantry company, consisting of about 140 men 
 only, could be brought to operate with success on 
 a space of sixteen geographical square miles. I 
 therefore at once made a report to head-quarters, 
 in Cracow, relative to the state of affairs, and 
 
 c 
 
26 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 represented the urgent necessity of an immediate 
 reinforcement. My demand was complied with, 
 and a few days later I had the command of three 
 hundred and fifty infantry, thirty picked men of 
 cavalry, and a division of artillery. 
 
 Being then in a position to insist by force of 
 arms on the punctual execution of my orders, I 
 addressed a circular to such of the commissaries of 
 districts as could he depended on ; calling upon 
 them to do their utmost towards the restoration of 
 peace, and enjoining them to prevent any assist- 
 ance being given to the insurgents, by all means 
 in their power ; and finally, made them responsi- 
 ble for the extradition of suspicious individuals. 
 It was next desirable to ascertain the stations of 
 the guerilla bands, who seemed to be ubiquitous. 
 
 Not wishing to harass my troops unnecessarily, 
 I sent spies in all directions, who soon brought me 
 the information that about one hundred and eighty 
 insurgents were in the habit of meeting every 
 night in a public-house called Oblaski, and dis- 
 turbing the neighbourhood. 
 
 On being made acquainted with all the parti- 
 culars, I repaired to Chrzanow, the centre of my 
 operations, where my small force had concentrated, 
 
IN HUNGARY. 27 
 
 to give the necessary order for an attack that 
 night; and, on the 18th, about half-past one 
 o'clock in the morning, my little army moved 
 quietly out of the town, and took the direction of 
 Onaczalla. 
 
 On reaching the public-house called Oblaski, I 
 made a halt, divided my men for the purpose of 
 surrounding the building and outhouses, ordering 
 them to attack on a given signal, simultaneously. 
 But 1 only succeeded in capturing a small number 
 of individuals belonging to the band, from whom 
 I ascertained that their comrades and ringleaders 
 had remained carousing in the public-house till 
 midnight, when they retired to an adjacent wood 
 of considerable extent, where they purposed to 
 await the reinforcements promised them, from 
 different districts of the territory. 
 
 Determined to avail myself of this important 
 information, I at once made for the forest desig- 
 nated, which was only about two English miles 
 from the public-house, and was fortunate enough 
 to find the rebels sitting quite unconcernedly 
 round a bright fire ; when, on a signal given by 
 their outposts who had perceived me, they hurried- 
 ly placed themselves in a state of defence, and re- 
 
 c 2 
 
28 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 ceived our attack with a volley of musketry. 
 After a struggle, which lasted about an hour, they 
 surrendered. The result of this skirmish was, 
 that I captured twenty-seven prisoners, amongst 
 whom were the two ringleaders, Strzemetzki, and 
 Bachalla, and killed some twelve or fifteen. The 
 rest had succeeded in effecting their escape 
 through the many by-roads and hollows with 
 which they were well acquainted. 
 
 It would be difficult to describe the joy my men 
 testified at the successful issue of this little affair. 
 The cavalry preceded us, bearing the lances we 
 had taken from the insurgents, then followed the 
 infantry, divided into two columns, between which 
 were the prisoners. 
 
 The next day, I sent a full report of the night's 
 events, with the names of those captured, to head- 
 quarters in Cracow. Not content with the infor- 
 mation I had received relative to the state of the 
 country, and anxious to prove myself worthy of 
 the confidence placed in me, I resolved to recon- 
 noitre the environs, and assure myself as to how 
 far the country was clear from the bands that 
 infested it. 
 
 On my return, I called a meeting of the Mayor3 
 
IN HUNGARY. 29 
 
 of the different villages, and explained to them 
 how matters stood, as well as their duty towards 
 the government. On this occasion, I had an op- 
 portunity of judging how little sympathy the 
 country people had for revolutionary principles, 
 unless misled by false representations. 
 
 I was just beginning to congratulate myself on 
 the dissolution of the respective insurgent bands, 
 when, not many days after, I was informed that 
 some eighty armed men had concealed themselves 
 in the ruins of Tencyn, about ten English miles 
 from Chrzanow; in consequence of which, I set 
 out for the place in question about nightfall. 
 We reached our destination at daybreak ; but the 
 insurgents, warned in time of my approach by 
 their friends, had decamped, and my only reward 
 was to witness the rising sun, — a magnificent 
 sight — from the top of Tencyn Castle, situated on 
 a high mountain, and commanding an extensive 
 view of the country around. 
 
 On the highest point of this imposing ruin, 
 still well conserved, we officers threw ourselves 
 down to repose after our fatiguing march, gazing 
 with admiration on the majestic sun, as he ascended 
 slowly above the horizon, the different objects in 
 
30 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 the beautiful landscape emerging gradually from 
 darkness. But notwithstanding the awe-inspiring 
 grandeur of this scene, I thought it but a poor 
 compensation for my tedious nocturnal expedition, 
 and, rallying my men, we resumed our march 
 homewards. 
 
 My plan, of disturbing the insurgents con- 
 tinually in their hiding-places, which rendered a 
 well-directed attack on their part impracticable, 
 proved successful ; and convinced at last, that no 
 revolutionary attempts would be followed up at 
 present, the different bands soon dispersed. In 
 less than a week, not a single armed man was to 
 be seen. As I received an intimation that 
 several notorious characters had fled to Prussia, 
 with the view of awaiting a more favourable op- 
 portunity, I repaired to Mislowice, for the purpose 
 of drawing the attention of the authorities to those 
 well-known dangerous individuals. 
 
 More than ever anxious to join my regiment in 
 Hungary, I reported my mission as completed to 
 head-quarters previously to my departure ; and, 
 on my return from the Prussian frontier, found 
 an order to place a few small detachments in dif- 
 ferent stations of the territory, and then return to 
 
IN HUNGARY. 31 
 
 Cracow with my company. Thus ended the 
 insurrection in the territory, which was so greatly 
 magnified by the press of foreign nations. 
 
 I cannot help remarking, on this occasion, how 
 inconceivable it seems, that men, who are ready to 
 stake life itself in a cause which they apparently 
 take up with so much warmth, should lose all spirit 
 and energy at the commencement of perils and 
 difficulties which they must have foreseen. 
 Here were people who, although they had long 
 matured a well-concocted plan, yet surrendered 
 on the appearance of a disciplined force, and thus 
 gave up their scheme, for the success of which they 
 had ventured so much, after a brief resistance. 
 
 It must be deeply lamented that such were the 
 manoeuvres put into practice by the Poles of late 
 years, which were not only calculated to draw 
 them into ridicule, but must also be detrimental 
 to the reputation they heretofore enjoyed of 
 being a bold, fearless, and noble nation. 
 Indefatigable in conspiring, yet indolence and a 
 want of spirit in the execution of their plots, 
 disqualify them from being successful leaders. 
 Such imbecile conduct holds them up to the deri- 
 sion of Europe, injures their cause, and places 
 
6% THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 them on a level with the adventurous street-rioters. 
 At the same time, it may not be denied that the 
 Pole has ever distinguished himself by signal bra- 
 very, when fighting in the ranks of regular, well- 
 disciplined troops. 
 
 On my arrival in Cracow, I felt amply rewarded 
 on hearing that General Baron Legeditsch had 
 expressed his approbation as to the manner in 
 which I had acquitted myself of the command 
 entrusted to me, and I was delighted at length to 
 receive an order to join my regiment with my 
 division and 200 recruits on the following day. 
 
 The evening previously to my departure for Hun- 
 gary, my servant announced, with a smile, that 
 two ladies were in the ante-chamber and had 
 expressed a wish to see me. I was a little per- 
 plexed, I confess, at so strange an occurrence, and 
 pondered as to who they could be, and what their 
 object was, when my servant amused me beyond 
 measure by the innocent remark, that they were 
 extremely well dressed, and had come with a foot- 
 man. I desired him to show them in. 
 
 One was d'un certain age — the other, young and 
 rather pretty. The elder advanced, and, addressing 
 me in French, begged I would tell her candidly 
 
IN HUNGARY. OO 
 
 whether I thought Mr. Strzemetzki " to be seri- 
 ously compromised ?" Here was a pretty question 
 to answer, considering that he was the ringleader. 
 Determined, at all events, to put the best face on 
 the matter, I replied, in my blandest tone, 
 " Why^ Madame, it depends upon what you call 
 seriously compromised." 
 
 " Well, I mean, whether he will be found 
 guilty of high treason ?" 
 
 Seeing that this was a lady, who would certainly 
 come at the truth in spite of me, I answered ? 
 " Most decidedly." 
 
 " Then, he will be hanged," she said, calmly. 
 
 I breathed again, for she had saved me the 
 trouble of informing her of the disagreeable fact, 
 but then I remembered, that the younger lady had 
 not spoken at all yet ; she might perhaps be deeply 
 interested, for aught I knew, in the prisoner, and 
 would probably faint on hearing the mention of 
 his unavoidable fate. The prospect of a lady 
 fainting in my room was something more than I 
 was equal to, and I really felt embarrassed as to 
 what I should say, but a moment's reflection 
 brought the conviction, that it was far more cha- 
 ritable to speak the truth, than to mislead them: 
 
 c3 
 
Si THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 I therefore said that, " I had every reason to 
 believe that the extreme sentence of the law 
 would be carried into execution." 
 
 An awkward pause followed my declaration, 
 after which, the elder lady again addressed me, 
 begging that I would at least intercede for him, 
 convinced that his pardon must be granted at my 
 request. 
 
 The idea of my appearing before Baron Lege- 
 ditsch to ask the pardon of the man whom it had 
 cost so much trouble to capture, was too ludicrous, 
 he being not only the most culpable, but also the 
 most dangerous individual. Fully aware that the 
 government had resolved to make an example, I 
 knew besides, from the charges brought against 
 him, that he was a lost man. I therefore couched 
 my answer in mild but positive terms, which I 
 trusted, would convince my fair visitors, that it 
 was not in my power to do anything for the pri- 
 soner, and that from the very fact of my having 
 had an opportunity of assuring myself of the extent 
 of his guilt, it was utterly impossible for me to 
 say one word in his favour. 
 
 The elder lady then informed me that her 
 younger companion was a relative of the prisoner's, 
 
IN HUNGARY. 35 
 
 and begged me to do my utmost to save his life. 
 I terminated the interview by saying that, as I 
 should leave Cracow for Hungary the next 
 morning, I could do nothing even if I were so 
 disposed ; thereupon, the ladies made me a stiff 
 bow, and moved towards the door, which I 
 opened with unfeigned delight. 
 
 How my heart expanded when they were gone 
 may be conceived, since the interview was quite 
 as painful to me as to the two ladies ! 
 
36 
 
 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Departure from Cracow — March to Priviczna — Meeting 
 with two Imperial Couriers — Count Szirmay — Feelings 
 of the Peasantry— Entry into Hungary — Arrival at 
 Lublo — Disloyalty of the Inhabitants — Kossuth's Ma- 
 noeuvres to win Proselytes to his cause — Attempt to 
 Seduce my Troops — Arrest of Two Citizens — Hospita- 
 lity of the Budlein Inhabitants — Arrival at Kasemark — 
 Mysterious Warnings — Unexpected Meeting with Sol- 
 diers of the Regiment — Their Complaints against the 
 Inhabitants — Interview with the Burgermeister — His 
 Arrest — Encampment — The Deputations — The Alarm — 
 Liberality on the part of the Inhabitants towards our 
 
 Troops in the Distribution of Wine — Baroness W 
 
 An Old Acquaintance— Important Information. 
 
 Having scarcely closed my eyes the night pre- 
 ceding my departure for Hungary, I did not find 
 it any hardship to rise as soon as the first ray 
 of light pierced through the crevices of my win- 
 dow-shutters, and was not sorry to find that the 
 morning promised a lovely May-day, with no 
 clouds in the sky, no vestige of the harsh spring 
 
IN HUNGARY. 87 
 
 in its balmy air, perfumed with all the fragrance 
 peculiar to that month. 
 
 The clocks of the different churches struck the 
 sixth hour just as my division, consisting of 500 
 men, including the recruits, took up a position in 
 the large square in Cracow, to await the inspec- 
 tion of General Baron Moltke, after which we 
 commenced our march at seven o'clock. 
 
 On our way through the town, we halted on 
 the Stradom, before the residence of General 
 Baron Legeditsch, where we had received orders 
 to defile, after which we gave three cheers to the 
 General Commandant as a farewell, who, in 
 shaking hands, expressed towards me his best 
 wishes. Half an hour after this, we crossed the 
 bridge which divides Podgorze from Cracow, and 
 were on the high road to Idow. 
 
 General Baron Moltke having accompanied us 
 for about ten English miles from Cracow, turned 
 his horse's head to join with regret the garrison 
 we had left, whilst I spurred on my horse with a 
 light heart; and, as I rode past, my men observed 
 with pleasure, that they felt quite as happy as 
 myself to be on the way to the battle-field. 
 
 At Idow, I engaged 120 waggons, and thus we 
 
88 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 proceeded in forced marches to the frontier town 
 called Priviczna, without having met with any 
 adventure worth recording. 
 
 At Priviczna I found two officers, Major 
 Count Szirmay (Hungarian Magnate) and first- 
 Lieutenant Wytlacil, both Imperial couriers and 
 the bearers of important despatches for Field- 
 Marshal Vogel and General Benedek. They had 
 awaited me with a view of joining the column in 
 order to pass that part of upper Hungary, par- 
 ticularly the Zipser Comitat (which had been con- 
 siderably fanaticised) unmolested, and reach the 
 place of their destination in safety. 
 
 Count Szirmay was also charged with the im- 
 portant mission of informing the Sclavonian 
 population of the real state of things, and of ex- 
 plaining to them that the government, so far from 
 wishing to deprive them of their rights, was most 
 anxious to ameliorate the condition of all nations, 
 and to ensure their common welfare, which objects 
 they had in view ; whereas, the insurgent govern- 
 ment, actuated only by interested and impure mo- 
 tives, must plunge the country into the deepest 
 misfortunes, and eventually accomplish its ruin 
 at a later period. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 3\) 
 
 Count Szirmay told me that he had, on several 
 occasions, been astonished at the remarkably 
 sound common sense everywhere displayed by the 
 country people, distinguishing justice from ini- 
 quity, right from wrong, with almost incredible 
 acuteness, which convinced him that compulsory 
 measures alone could induce them to deviate from 
 the lawful path ; and that the peasant being fully 
 aware that the penalty which the ringleader 
 ought by right to pay, ever falls on him, whereby 
 he generally forfeits his little property and life, 
 recognises the fallacy of Revolution at a glance, 
 and is invariably opposed to it. Nor is this 
 astonishing, since it is a well-known fact that the 
 ostensible leaders who corrupt the mass, imme- 
 diately quit the field on the failure of their plans, 
 and placing themselves beyond the avenging arm 
 of justice with disgraceful cowardice leave the 
 misled million to pay for the few. 
 
 Thus it is easily accounted for, that no rebel- 
 lion in Poland could succeed, for the Gallician 
 peasant cannot be induced to believe in the fine 
 promises held out to him by the haughty Satrapes, 
 which are no sooner made than broken, and there- 
 fore he clings to the Imperial Government, which 
 
40 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 not only has never deceived him, but was his only 
 protection against the well-known tyranny of his 
 landlord. 
 
 It was very much the same case in Hungary, 
 where the peasantry did not, as is generally 
 believed, make common cause with the rebels ; 
 but, so far from taking an active part in the 
 revolution, they remained passive in many parts, 
 awaiting the issue of this bloody civil war calmly, 
 except when excited by inflammatory speeches, or 
 in those districts where the clergy, unmindful of 
 their sacred duty, encouraged them to sedition 
 with an enthusiasm by which they were often 
 carried away. 
 
 On the 5 th May, 1849, we took leave of Grallician 
 ground, and bade adieu to a comfortable bed, for, 
 from that time, mother earth was to be our only 
 couch. 
 
 About 5 o'clock in the morning, my small corps 
 stood in rank and file in the little square in 
 Priviczna, a small but neat town, situated in the 
 beautiful valley called Poprat, which intersects the 
 majestic Carpathian mountains in this direction. 
 
 Each then examined his musket and ammunition 
 with care previously to loading it,* and, hastily 
 
IN HUNGARY. 41 
 
 demolishing some bread indulged in a long draught 
 out of his Tschuttora, taking care to fasten it well, 
 lest any portion of the Sklikowitz,* so precious 
 to the soldier on those occasions, should be spilt, 
 and then awaited the word of command impatiently, 
 as if the first step across the frontier would bring 
 us in collision with the enemy. 
 
 Mr. Persina, the tax-collector, had had the 
 kindness to prepare an excellent breakfast for us, 
 to which we did great credit, concluding it with a 
 cheer for our chivalrous Emperor. Mr. Persina, 
 perfectly well acquainted with the country around, 
 offered himself as my guide, which proposition I 
 joyfully accepted ; and, about six o'clock, we set 
 out for the frontier of that beautiful land so highly 
 favoured by nature, but now bleeding from a 
 thousand wounds. 
 
 We soon reached the line which separates Hun- 
 gary from Gallicia, where I found an officer on 
 guard with a small detachment, who greeted us 
 warmly ; and, after an eight hours' march through a 
 narrow pathless causeway, the wild but romantic 
 and splendid scenery of which fully indemnified 
 us for all other desagrements, we reached Lublo, 
 
 * Brandy, made from plums. 
 
4f2 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 one of the sixteen Zipser towns, without having 
 heard or seen anything of the enemy. 
 
 The greater part of the population of the sixteen 
 Zipser towns are Germans, and, with the excep- 
 tion of Budlein, which is a Catholic town, Protestant 
 and Calvinists, consequently adherents of Kossuth, 
 who is of the latter persuasion, and knew how to 
 win them over to his cause by the grossest and 
 basest fictions, telling them, for instance, that the 
 free exercise of their faith depended on the 
 successful issue of the Hungarian revolution ; he 
 assured them, that, in the event of the Imperial 
 government being successful, their religion would 
 be endangered. 
 
 Thus deluded, it may readily be supposed they 
 were favourable to Kossuth's cause, and ready at 
 all times to assist him and his party by every means 
 in their power, giving him constant and immense 
 contributions of shoes, boots, horse-trappings, 
 and cloth for the army ; they supported him most 
 actively throughout, with the exception of Budlein, 
 which kept aloof from the revolutionary party. 
 
 Kossuth's talent for fiction was of essential 
 service to him, for by misrepresentations alone 
 and numerous cunning devices, could he succeed 
 in keeping the struggle up so long. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 43 
 
 That district of Hungary may bs considered 
 to have been the most fanaticised, and therefore 
 violent partisans of the revolutionary faction, who 
 favoured the civil war far more than even the 
 pure Hungarian districts of the Cumanes and the 
 Tazyges. 
 
 At about half an English mile from Lublo, I 
 was met by a deputation of burghers, who assured 
 me of their loyalty, and expressed themselves 
 most willing to attend to my wishes and orders. 
 Unfortunately for them, I had been warned not 
 to trust to the apparent complaisance I should 
 meet with in that part of Hungary, and by no 
 means to place confidence in their enthusiastic 
 expression of devotion. I therefore received this 
 deputation with cool politeness, and, confining 
 myself merely to ordering the necessary provisions 
 for my men, within the shortest time, entered the 
 town, where I picked out the largest localities to 
 quarter my detachment, for which room could 
 scarcely be found. 
 
 Having directed the necessary videttes to be 
 placed, and assured myself that all was right, I 
 took advantage of Mr. Persina's invitation, and 
 with the few officers free from duty, proceeded to 
 
44 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 his falher-in-law's, where a magnificent supper 
 awaited us, after which we were shown to our 
 dormitoire, a large room, where some fresh straw 
 was prepared on the floor. Rendered somewhat 
 sleepy by our long march, and the hot Hunga- 
 rian wines, it may be supposed that we gladly 
 availed ourselves of the beds offered. 
 
 I had not slept long, when I was awoke by my 
 sergeant, who announced, that a patrol had arrested 
 two citizens of the town, who had endeavoured to 
 tamper with some of my recruits. Indignant at 
 this treachery, I sent for the recreants, and having 
 acquainted them that the nature of their offence 
 placed them under martial law, which sentences to 
 death by powder and shot all those individuals 
 who seek to corrupt the army, I told them, they 
 must consider themselves as my prisoners, and 
 accompany me to head-quarters, where they 
 would be tried by court-martial, warning them 
 that, if they attempted to escape, I should exercise 
 my prerogative, and have them shot on the 
 spot. 
 
 This occurrence deprived me of my night's rest ; 
 and it being a significant proof that I was sur- 
 rounded by enemies, I determined to continue my 
 
IN HUNGARY. 45 
 
 march at daybreak, and for that purpose directed 
 120 waggons to be in readiness at the first dawn 
 of the morning. 
 
 Between five and six o'clock, I set out for 
 Kesemark with the column of vehicles, which I 
 had necessarily divided into several partitions, as 
 much for security-sake as to be able to guide 
 them, congratulating myself on having escaped 
 the machinations of the rebellious inhabitants of 
 Lublo. 
 
 The line of extraordinary-looking carts directed 
 by me through the medium of tambours, placed at 
 certain intervals, was an original sight, and the 
 gaiety of the soldiers, who were singing almost 
 continually, might have caused this cortege to 
 resemble more a party of pleasure, than a war- 
 like expedition, if the full accoutrements of the 
 men, with their bayonets glittering in the sun, 
 had not destroyed the illusion. 
 
 On reaching Budlein, I halted, wishing to give 
 man and horse the much-needed repose of a short 
 hour. We were well received by the popu- 
 lation, who entertained us most hospitably, 
 offering us excellent bread and cheese, of which 
 we partook with considerable appetite. 
 
46 
 
 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 Hoping that they might possibly have heard 
 something of General Benedek's brigade, I ques- 
 tioned them, but could obtain no accurate infor- 
 mation, and thanking the inhabitants for their 
 civility, we continued our route till within a short 
 distance of Kesemark. 
 
 This place having been represented to me as 
 being ill-disposed towards the Imperial Govern- 
 ment, I thought it more prudent to make my men 
 dismount ; and, having ordered them to form rank 
 and file, approached the town with the drums beat- 
 ing. I had scarcely proceeded about a hundred 
 steps, when a gentleman approached me, and said 
 in an under tone : — 
 
 " Sir, the inhabitants harbour sinister intentions 
 towards you, — be cautious ! " 
 
 I asked for an explanation of this mysterious 
 warning, but the stranger was gone, and, I conti- 
 nued my way reflecting on the singular occur- 
 rence, when a respectably-dressed woman ap- 
 proached me, timidly, saying as she pointed to the 
 town : — 
 
 " Oh ! Sir, be on your guard ! They purpose 
 overpowering you." 
 
 Determined to know more this time, I laid my 
 
IN HUNGARY. 47 
 
 Laud gently, but firmly, on her arm : " Speak 
 on, how came you to be informed of the fact ? " 
 I said, fixing my eyes on her, but she answered 
 unhesitatingly: — 
 
 " I will tell you that, Sir ; when the approach 
 of your troops was announced, carts were sent in 
 all directions to acquaint the guerilla-bands (of 
 which there are many in the neighbourhood) of 
 your arrival, in order that they may attack you in 
 the middle of the night. I cannot tell you more, 
 good Sir, nor may I tarry ; for, if it should be 
 discovered that I exchanged a word with you, I 
 should fare badly after your departure." 
 
 Truly this was a pleasant state of things, a 
 cheering prospect to be thus deprived of our 
 night's rest ; but, as no alternative was left me, 
 except to march on, I acquainted the officers and the 
 two Imperial couriers of the reported danger, which, 
 after all, might only be a stratagem ; and, deter- 
 mined to make no further use of the important inti- 
 mation, than to recommend double vigilance to my 
 officers, and to act with extreme caution myself. 
 
 Within a short distance of the town, I was not 
 a little surprised to meet with a group of soldiers 
 bearing the facings of our regiment. Their woful 
 
48 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 countenances, which gradually relaxed into smiles 
 as we approached, and crest-fallen appearance, ex- 
 cited my curiosity. 
 
 " What has delayed you here ?" I asked. Their 
 answer was comprised in few words. They had 
 been taken ill on the march, and were left behind 
 by the regiment until sufficiently recovered to 
 join, but a few nights after the regiment had 
 left, they were attacked by armed men, who broke 
 into their room, and robbed them of their clothes, 
 money, arms, and ammunition. 
 
 Having desired them to follow me, I entered 
 the town, and, drawing up on the Piazza, requested 
 the immediate attendance of the Burgomaster, 
 whose pale looks betrayed that he made a pretty 
 good guess as to the object of my interview, par- 
 ticularly since the plundered soldiers stood near 
 me. I asked him briefly : " Are you aware that 
 the dwelling of these soldiers, who were left 
 behind by their regiment as invalids, was broken 
 into at night, and that their arms and ammunition 
 were taken away by armed insurgents ? " 
 
 " Yes," stammered he. 
 
 " What measures did you adopt to recover their 
 property?" 
 
IN HUNGARY. 49 
 
 " None." 
 
 "Why none?" 
 
 " Because the affair happened at night, and these 
 people were armed : and, in fact, I did not know 
 who they were, except that they belonged to the 
 guerilla bands of this neighbourhood, against whom 
 it was impossible forme to attempt any resistance." 
 
 "But you must have known perfectly well, that 
 the guerilla bands could not have attacked the 
 soldiers and plundered them, if they had not been 
 informed of their stay here by the inhabitants of 
 the town, who must have betrayed their place of 
 residence to the enemy. It was, in any case, your 
 duty to make strict inquiries ; and, at all events, 
 you ought, in the first instance, to have adopted 
 the necessary measures to protect the soldiers 
 from such an aggression. Your justification is, 
 therefore, not at all satisfactory to me; and I 
 regret to be compelled, under the circumstances, 
 to make you my prisoner, until the stolen pro- 
 perty be restored to me. The disgraceful treat- 
 ment Imperial soldiers have received from a 
 German population, and which you tolerated, 
 sufficiently proves the disloyalty of the inhabi- 
 tants. ' 
 
 D 
 
50 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 The Burgomaster returned no answer, and, 
 having placed a guard over him, we encamped on 
 a long plain about an English mile from the town. 
 Having ordered two sergeants on outpost service, 
 we prepared to dine, after which I purposed to 
 march to Poprat, where it would be necessary to 
 give the men a few hours' rest before I continued 
 my route to St. Miklos, in the environs of which 
 I hoped to meet with the corps of General Bene- 
 dek, the next, or at the latest, the second day. 
 
 Having taken all necessary precautions to pre- 
 vent a surprise, I, with the officers, sought refuge 
 from a scorching sun under a large tree, and medi- 
 tated upon the events of the morning, when a de- 
 putation of Burghers was announced. Their errand 
 was simply a request that I would set the Burgo- 
 master free, assuring me of his loyalty, as well as 
 their own. I advised them another time to prove 
 their loyalty with deeds, rather than words, and 
 dismissed them. 
 
 About an hour after this, two other deputations 
 waited on me, with the same demand. These I 
 also acquainted with my determination not to 
 relent, until the property had been restored to the 
 soldiers, finally assuring them that all further 
 
IN HUNGARY. 51 
 
 applications were useless, unless my order was 
 complied with. 
 
 The last deputation had scarcely left me, when 
 a corporal announced that the alarm was beaten 
 in the town, and the inhabitants preparing to 
 attack me, with the intention of enforcing their 
 dem md. Ordering my men to fall in, I marched 
 towards Kesmark. But my approach was no 
 sooner known there, than order was quickly 
 restored ; and a deputation met me with the most 
 solemn assurances of their loyalty, saying that the 
 alarm had been beaten in consequence of a fire 
 which broke out, but not, as evil-minded persons 
 had supposed, with any view of a hostile demon- 
 stration against my troops on the part of the 
 inhabitants. 
 
 Although perfectly well aware of their real 
 intentions, and the falsity of their statements, I 
 yet thought it more prudent to refrain from using 
 coercive measures, and seemed to credit their pro- 
 testations, hoping thus to allay the public excite- 
 ment. I then once more encamped, but this time 
 within a few yards of the town ; and requesting 
 that my soldiers might speedily be provided for, 
 we sought repose again, when a lady solicited an 
 
 2d 
 
52 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 interview, which I of course granted. Her ap- 
 pearance was very prepossessing, and her manners 
 were such as to convince me at once that I was 
 addressed by a person of rank. 
 
 It was the Baroness W g, possessed of 
 
 some property in the neighbourhood, who came to 
 intercede for my friend the Burgomaster, assuring 
 me that he might justly be reckoned as one of the 
 most loyal of his Majesty's subjects — that his 
 private and public character was such as to forbid 
 a doubt of his having been implicated in the 
 plunder of the soldiers, which circumstance must 
 be attributed to the disturbed times, rather than 
 to any neglect on his part — because the town 
 being continually surrounded by guerilla bands, 
 it became impossible for him to attempt any re- 
 prisals against the delinquents, as he had no 
 soldiers at his disposal to enforce his demand. 
 Wherefore, he could not have acted otherwise 
 than he had done, without endangering the safety 
 of the loyal part of the population. 
 
 The seductive eloquence and fascinating man- 
 ners of my fair visitor rendered my task a most 
 disagreeable one, but I could only give one answer, 
 and that was a refusal, which I couched in the 
 
IN HUNGARY. 53 
 
 most polite terms, endeavouring to convince her 
 that duty and inclination very rarely go hand in 
 hand, and consequently of the dire necessity of 
 my following the dictates of the former, which 
 compelled me most reluctantly to appear so un- 
 gallant. In fact, I have a faint remembrance of 
 making a very fine speech on the occasion, and 
 certainly consider myself to have behaved ex- 
 tremely well under the trying circumstances. 
 
 The world knows how difficult it is to convince 
 a lady, whether she be right or wrong, and how 
 rarely she gives up a point when determined on 
 carrying it. Such was the case in the present 
 instance ; it may, therefore, be conceived that I 
 was in a most unpleasant predicament, for the 
 argument grew warmer at every moment without 
 my being able to gain ground, since, for all the 
 reasons I adduced as a justification of my perse- 
 verance, my fair adversary had an answer, which 
 necessitated a further reply on my part, and I was 
 at my wit's end how to close this interview, which 
 had become extremely embarrassing. The Ba- 
 roness determined to leave no means untried, 
 appealed to my pity in the most winning terms, 
 entreating me to liberate the Burgomaster for the 
 
51 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 sake of his wife, who was not in a condition to 
 hear of the imprisonment of her husband without 
 perhaps paying with her life the sudden shock. 
 This was a home blow — married mvself, I could 
 understand Madame's grief; and, finding that all 
 attempts to convince my applicant of the impos- 
 sibility of my complying with her request were 
 useless, I expressed my regret that, not being 
 sufficiently acquainted with the Burgomaster to 
 judge of his loyalty, otherwise than by his deeds, 
 I could not allow private considerations to inter- 
 fere with my duty. 
 
 " I see you doubt me," she replied ; " take me 
 perhaps for a rebel,'' added she, with a smile. 
 " Do you know any person here, or in the neigh- 
 bourhood, who could convince you of my honest 
 motives ?" 
 
 " Not a soul," I answered. 
 
 " Well, but perhaps if I name some officers, who 
 have retired from the army, you may chance to be 
 personally acquainted with one out of the many." 
 
 She had mentioned about a dozen, none of whom 
 I knew, when an open phaeton drove past. 
 
 " There !" exclaimed the Baroness, " surely 
 you know Major Badany, formerly of the Nicholas 
 
IN HUNGARY. 55 
 
 Hussars — he was quartered in Bohemia some years 
 ago r 
 
 In the meantime, Major Badany, who was 
 really an old acquaintance of mine, drew up, on 
 perceiving me, and approached me hurriedly to 
 shake hands. It was some years since we had 
 met, when we enjoyed many a happy hour toge- 
 ther, and old reminiscences, therefore, made our 
 meeting a delightful one. 
 
 The Baroness W g, who had appealed to 
 
 him, he assured me was most loyal, and quite ad- 
 verse to the Kossuth faction. With regard to the 
 Burgomaster, he admitted that he failed in the 
 execution of his duty to some extent, adding that, 
 all circumstances considered, he could not well 
 have acted otherwise. 
 
 The Burgomaster, on his part, expressed him- 
 self ready to make some reparation to the soldiers 
 for the loss they had sustained, with the exception 
 of the arms and ammunition, which had been car- 
 ried away by the guerilla band. I therefore told 
 
 the Baroness W g that my future intentions 
 
 with regard to the Burgomaster must be regulated 
 by the conduct of the inhabitants, whose fault it 
 would be, if he was not liberated at my departure, 
 
56 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 until then, however, I insisted on his remaining in 
 the camp as a hostage. 
 
 When the Baroness W g was gone, Major 
 
 Badany said somewhat seriously : " Well, tell me 
 what you are doing here, and whither you are 
 going ?" 
 
 "A few words will put you aufait" I replied : 
 " I am on my way to join the brigade of General 
 Benedek." 
 
 "Good God!" he ejaculated, "why you must 
 be mad to attempt it. Are you aware that there 
 are, at this moment, one hundred and thirty-five 
 English miles between you and General Benedek — 
 that your road lies through the valley of the Waag 
 to Presburg, where the Austrian army is con- 
 centrating, and which, believe me, you cannot 
 reach, In spite of the greatest physical exertions, 
 without sacrificing your men and officers, for you 
 must be annihilated." 
 
 Seeing that I was not to be dissuaded, he added 
 in a whisper, " General Dembinski is at Leuts- 
 chak, which is within twenty English miles of you, 
 with 10,000 men, and has ordered 1,000 waggons 
 to convey his troops at the dawn of day, to-mor- 
 row. His intention is to attack Benedek in the 
 
IN HUNGARY. 57 
 
 rear, and, if you advance, your corps is doomed. 
 What renders your position still more difficult is, 
 that messengers and carts have been sent in a 
 directions to the guerilla bands encamped in this 
 neighbourhood, who purpose to attack you within 
 a few leagues of the town." 
 
 The information given me by my friend was as 
 serious as it was important, and of its correctness 
 I could scarcely entertain a doubt, for he knew 
 every movement of the enemy. What was to be 
 done ? Inclination urged us on — prudence sug- 
 gested a retreat 
 
 When Major Badany had taken his departure, 
 enjoining me to be cautious, I consulted with my 
 officers, quite as unwilling to retreat as myseif. 
 So many fatal conjunctions rendered my expedition 
 extremely difficult, and I would ten thousand times 
 rather stand exposed to a shower of cannon balls, 
 than be placed in so critical a position again. To 
 have decided upon my course of action, with re- 
 ference to the mere suggestions of military order, 
 would have been culpable here, for the duty of a 
 commandant, is to take the strength of his troops 
 into consideration, and not expose the lives of 
 
 d 3 
 
58 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 those confided to him, without the possibility of 
 deriving any advantage. 
 
 In the meantime, the inhabitants had provided 
 my soldiers liberally, but wine I found had been 
 given in such large quantities as to make it obvious 
 that their intention was to intoxicate the troops, 
 and to render them unavailable. I immediately re- 
 stricted the use of the beverage, and was astonished 
 to hear from several of the men, that the young 
 girls, who had brought their dinner, advised them 
 to be on their guard. I could not but see plainly 
 that every moment's delay increased the danger. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 59 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Retreat to Winschensdorf — Arrival at that place -The 
 Landlord and his Bill arouse my suspicions — Ap- 
 proach of the Enemy — Removal of the baggage — Intre- 
 pidity of my servants — Pursuit by three Hussars — The 
 baggage and the Government money — The two pri- 
 soners — Their attempt to escape, and consequent death 
 
 — A sharp Skirmish — Count S wounded — His loyalty 
 
 — The Countess S My horse is shot — Narrow escape 
 
 from being killed myself — Bad leadership on the part of 
 the Magyars — Cruelty of the Hungarians towards their 
 
 prisoners — Count C 's dreadful death— Gorgey's 
 
 kindness to General Baron Goty — General Baron Goty 
 and Captain Baron Goty's death — The Dispatch — My 
 retreat to Altendorf — My position at Altendorf and 
 Szomovce — The Enemy's approach — I receive Orders to 
 defend the Pass — Preparations to receive the Enemy — 
 Treachery of the Mayor of Altendorf — Salutation 
 between the Chief of the Guerilla Bands and myself — 
 The Enemy's attack — Skirmish at Szomovce — Retreat of 
 
 the enemy — Arrival of CaptaiD H \s Guide to the 
 
 Russian Corps, under the Command of General Baron 
 Saas — My Departure from Szomovce — The Estafette — 
 
 Counter Orders — My application to General Baron S 
 
 — His Reply — I receive definite Orders to join the Bri- 
 gade of General Baron Bario — Arrival in Sandee — Un- 
 
60 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 expected Meeting with Count S -A Dinner-Party — 
 
 Introduction to several Hungarians — Their Complaints 
 against Kossuth — I join my Division at Sucho. 
 
 I collected my men, and explained the neces- 
 sity of an immediate retreat to the officers ; since, 
 by advancing, I ran the risk of being engaged in a 
 cross fire by Dembinski's corps and the guerilla 
 bands; moreover, I was not acquainted with the 
 exact position of General Benedek. Besides, the 
 country before me was occupied by an enemy of 
 superior force, with whom I could not cope ; 
 having no prospect of obtaining assistance, being 
 without cavalry and artillery, and not even pro- 
 vided with reserve ammunition. It would there- 
 fore be madness to challenge a force of 10,000 
 men, particularly since my retreat would then be 
 cut off by the enemy, who was coming upon us 
 from two sides, and who must succeed in sur- 
 rounding us, if we delayed. Having weighed all 
 these facts over well, I with regret gave the order 
 to march by Bela and Winschensdorf, to the 
 Gallician frontier. 
 
 We reached Winschensdorf only late the same 
 night, and consequently found all the inhabitants 
 asleep. It was some time before I succeeded in 
 
IN HUNGARY. 61 
 
 waking the Mayor of the town. But it was still 
 more difficult to get him to understand that my 
 men must be quartered in the place ; — whereupon, 
 he offered to have some straw put in to the adjoin- 
 ing sheds. Glad enough to obtain even that, we 
 accepted his proposition, desiring to be supplied 
 with bread and cheese, which we enjoyed greatly; 
 not a little delighted to have baffled the guerilla 
 bands of Kesemark, and indulging in the hope 
 that we had escaped the most imminent danger ; 
 still commenting on the adventures of the day, 
 we threw ourselves, in full uniform, without even 
 unbuckling our swords, on the straw which had 
 been spread for us in the loft thinking to obtain 
 a few hours' sleep — when we heard a heavy foot 
 approaching, and our host stood before us, de- 
 manding to be paid immediately for the provisions 
 he had given us. We assured him that he should 
 be paid in the morning, after breakfast — but 
 begged he wou.d retire now, as we saw no neces- 
 sity for our being disturbed at that hour. 
 
 " Who is to trust to the morrow, in these sore 
 times?" he answered, gruffly — "you may be at- 
 tacked, and all dead, before morning — no, no, I 
 must be paid now ! " 
 
62 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 This aroused our suspicions ; and, having got 
 rid of his inopportune presence, I ordered the 
 outpost to be extremely vigilant, and frequent 
 patrols during the night ; which, however, passed 
 quietly enough — when, at six o'clock in the 
 morning, the outpost announced the appearance 
 of a column of infantry and cavalry. The gue- 
 rilla bands had mustered in great force, and had 
 overtaken us. Ordering the drums to beat the 
 alarm, and assemble the troops, I sent one com- 
 pany to meet the enemy, and detain them until I 
 had taken up a position behind the village ; for I 
 could not possibly have defended myself in it. 
 
 It is utterly incomprehensible how much phy- 
 sical strength we possessed in the moment of 
 danger, of which I had a striking example in my- 
 self. Our whole private and military baggage, 
 packed in waggons, stood in the middle of the 
 village, the front towards the enemy, who was fast 
 approaching, and the horses not even put to the 
 first waggon, which, conveying my private baggage 
 and £600 of the Government money, was the most 
 important to save. Seeing there was not a mo- 
 ment to lose, I rushed forward, and, without any 
 assistance, turned the heavily-packed vehicle round 
 
IN HUNGARY. O^ 
 
 by the pole as if it had been a mere toy, and, beck- 
 oning to the drivers of the two foremost horses, 
 who were being trotted up with premeditated 
 slowness by the peasant, I ordered them to be put 
 to, and desiring my two servants, Albert and 
 Francis, to mount, with strict injunctions not to 
 let it fall into the hands of the enemy, and to 
 shoot the peasants if they refused to proceed, I 
 bade them apply the whip to the horses, who 
 galloped off at full speed, followed shortly by the 
 rest of the baggage. 
 
 Before J refer to the skirmish itself, I must re- 
 late the bravery and presence of mind of my 
 servants. They had not proceeded far, when the 
 hussars, who had probably received an intimation 
 from the inhabitants, of the removal of the wag- 
 gons, overtook them, having cautiously availed 
 themselves of a circuitous route round the village. 
 The peasant to whom the horses belonged, relaxed 
 his pace, on seeing the hussars coming towards 
 them, and said with a malicious grin, " You had 
 better say "Elljiu Kossuth." 
 
 " Rascal !" exclaimed Albert — " I suspected you 
 before" — and, taking one of my pistols out of the 
 case, he threatened to shoot him on the spot un- 
 
64 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 less he put his horses into a gallop ; by a strange 
 coincidence, he had scarcely spoken the words* 
 when a shot from the enemy pierced the hat of the 
 peasant, who, believing my servant to have fired* 
 applied the whip with a loud curse ; but the pea- 
 sant's horses could not be expected to cope with 
 the spirited steeds on which the hussars were 
 mounted, and the first, already by the side of the 
 waggon, raised his sabre to cut down Albert, who, 
 on his knees, with one hand on the edge of the 
 cart, aimed at the hussar, and so well, that he for- 
 tunately shot him under the arm ; he had scarcely 
 fallen from his horse, when a second hussar, with 
 a bassamalike at his comrade's death, let his sabre 
 fall heavily on the hands of Albert, who, thus dis- 
 abled, dropped the pistol ; but Francis, unsheath- 
 ing my sword-sabre, which lay in the waggon, gave 
 the hussar so severe a cut across the face, that he 
 reeled in his saddle, and lost ground ; the third, 
 seeing two to one, gave up the pursuit, and my 
 baggage, with the Imperial money, was thus saved 
 by the intrepidity of my two servants. 
 
 At the commencement of the action, I warned 
 my two Lublo prisoners, who, it will be remem- 
 bered, were convicted of having attempted to 
 
IN HUNGARY. 65 
 
 seduce some of my recruits, that any attempt to 
 escape would prove their death-warrant ; and, in 
 their presence, gave strict injunctions to the guards 
 to watch them with the utmost vigilance, and 
 show no mercy if they endeavoured to join the 
 enemy. The prisoners listened sullenly, and made 
 no reply. Shortly after this, my attention was 
 attracted by a shot, and, looking in the direction, 
 I saw that the two prisoners had succeeded in 
 breaking from the guards, who called upon them 
 to halt, three times : but the fugitives increased 
 their speed for all answer, seeing wh'ch the 
 soldiers fired, and both fell dead to the ground. 
 There was no help for it, — they bad been suf- 
 ficiently warned, and it was an imperative duty on 
 my part, to prevent their joining the enemy, to 
 whom they could have given important infor- 
 mation. 
 
 In the meantime, the enemy had opened his 
 fire along the line, developing his superior strength. 
 He sent circuitous columns to the right and left 
 with a view of cutting off my retreat across the 
 Magyura mountains, in which I baffled him by my 
 original plan of deserting the village at the com- 
 mencement of the action ; whilst Captain Bohur, 
 
6Q 
 
 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 who fought with great valour against superior 
 numbers, detained the enemy until I had taken 
 up an advantageous position behind the village, 
 and was enabled to accept his challenge, as soon as 
 I had gained the summit of some rising ground, 
 which enabled me to remain on the defensive, un- 
 til Captain Bohur had retreated from the village, 
 with inconsiderable loss, and placed himself on my 
 right wing. I then hoped to obtain an advantage 
 over the enemy, by a successful assault, and 
 to compel him to retreat into the -village, where I 
 perceived that my right flank was threatened by 
 a strong body of insurgents, who had suddenly 
 appeared on a wooded hill with the intention of 
 attacking me on that side By this skilful ma- 
 noeuvre on their part, I was compelled to retire 
 about 200 paces, but immediately sent Lieutenant 
 Kleiv with a section towards the enemy to cover 
 my right wing. The enemy, encouraged by this 
 retrograde movement, reinforced his attacking line 
 and opened a smart fire on my centre (whereby I 
 lost my horse) thus hoping to make me waver; but 
 a second assault on my side paralyzed his actions, 
 without yet being productive of any favourable 
 result beyond that of maintaining my position for 
 
IN HUNGARY. 67 
 
 a short time, nor could aught else be expected, as 
 a force of 500 men could not possibly gain any ad- 
 vantage over one of 2,200. All that I could hope 
 to accomplish was an honourable retreat with the 
 least possible loss. In this I succeeded, having 
 taken my third position on an extremely advan- 
 tageous point on the Magyura mountains, I forced 
 the enemy to retreat to Winschensdorf, after an 
 obstinate fight, whilst I proceeded on my march to 
 the Gallician frontier by Altendorf, which I reached 
 without being further molested by the enemy. 
 
 My loss was comparatively trifling ; whilst that 
 of the enemy was more serious. I could see quite 
 plainly, by means of a telescope, that he carried 
 his wounded away in eight waggons. I had only 
 one killed, five wounded, and thirteen missing. 
 Amongst my wounded was Count Szirmay, the 
 Imperial Courier, who had received a shot in his 
 leg, and must have been made prisoner, if I had 
 not fortunately seen him stagger about a hundred 
 yards from me. Hurrying to his assistance, I 
 took him under the arm, and giving him into the 
 charge of two soldiers, desired them to place him 
 beyond the reach of the balls, which were every 
 where falling around us. They succeeded most 
 
68 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 miraculously in carrying him to the mountains, 
 where his wound was bandaged ; and, placing 
 him on one of the baggage -waggons, fortunately 
 within reach of the soldiers, proceeded with him 
 to Szromovce, a Gallician village. They were 
 subsequently rewarded for their bravery on that 
 occasion, with the silver medal. 
 
 Count S would have fared but ill, if he 
 
 had fallen into the hands of the Hungarians, 
 having made himself obnoxious by his stedfast 
 loyalty, which won for him his Majesty's favour; 
 he having at the outbreak of the revolution, levied 
 a battalion of volunteers on his estate, near 
 Eperies, which he placed at the disposal of the 
 Emperor. But, when the Imperial troops were 
 compelled to evacuate that distiict, the Hungarians 
 
 confiscated his property ; and Count S found 
 
 himself almost without pecuniary resources. He 
 was then compelled to take the Countess with 
 him, but at last managed to bring her safely to 
 Vienna ; her life being constantly endangered. 
 When his Majesty was made acquainted with her 
 arrival, and the circumstances which compelled 
 her to seek refuge in the capital, he ordered a suit 
 of apartments to be prepared for her reception, in 
 
IN HUNGARY. 69 
 
 the Imperial residence at Schonbmnn, where this 
 lady resided during the campaign. 
 
 The well-directed fire of the insurgents spared 
 me, though I had some narrow escapes ; two balls 
 I found lodged in my cloak, and my poor horse 
 was, as I have observed, shot under me, for which 
 I was very sorry. The soldier always becomes 
 more or less attached to an animal who has borne 
 his rider through many a danger. As some con- 
 solation for my loss, five carriages, and several 
 horses of the enemy, fell into our hands. 
 
 I cannot understand why the Magyars did not, 
 on that occasion, turn their numerical superiority 
 to better advantage ; for, had their leaders been 
 more skilful soldiers, they must have either an- 
 nihilated my corps, or made every one of us pri- 
 soners. Whether to attribute their glaring over- 
 sights to bad generalship, or want of courage, it 
 would be hard to determine ; but let us judge as 
 soldiers, and take the former for granted. Their 
 guns, which carried pretty far, were of first-rate 
 Liege manufacture. They could, therefore, be 
 manoeuvred to my destruction at a considerable 
 distance. 
 
 I have every reason to thank God that I came 
 
70 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 out of this sanguinary affair, without having been 
 even wounded, or, what would be worse than all, 
 made prisoner, which each dreaded more than 
 death, from the day that we heard of the dreadful 
 
 death of Count C , Major of the Light 
 
 Cavalry Regiment, Emperor Francis Joseph. 
 
 I cannot refrain from giving the particulars of 
 his death, as it will prove the falsity of the asser- 
 tions set forth by Hungarian agents, that the 
 insurgents were ever most humane towards the 
 captured, The reader may judge from the follow- 
 ing statement what credit they deserve for treating 
 their prisoners with kindness. 
 
 Major Count Concoreggio, a most distinguished 
 officer, engaged in the battle fought at Kaschau 
 on the 11th December, 1848, fell wounded from 
 his horse. This being perceived by the enemy, 
 the Polish legion rushed towards the defenceless 
 man, and with savage yells of joy, unworthy of can- 
 nibals, beat him to death, some with the butt-ends 
 of their guns, others with the flat of their swords. 
 The civilized barbarians, not thinking this sufficient 
 torture, scooped out the eyes of the unhappy offi- 
 cer, still quivering in his death-struggle. 
 
 Was it astonishing, that, shuddering at the 
 
IN HUNGARY. 71 
 
 recollection of such barbarity, we preferred death 
 to falling into their hands ? If each officer in the 
 Austrian army were to commit to paper the 
 numberless atrocities individually witnessed, the 
 vaunted humanity of the insurgent army would 
 rest on a very feeble foundation. Could anything 
 else be expected when we know that the refuse 
 of every nation was admitted joyfully into the 
 ranks of the Hungarian army. And even though 
 a criminal who had narrowly escaped the gallows, 
 he would still have been received with open arms, 
 for, provided his cry was " Elljiu Kossuth" his 
 vices and misdeeds became virtues. 
 
 Gorgey and Klapka were the only humane 
 insurgent Generals who, it must be acknowledged, 
 treated the prisoners according to the rules of 
 civilized warfare, and, as far as it lay in their power, 
 never permitted them to receive ill-treatment, and 
 even invited the officers to their table. Gorgey 's 
 humanity was proverbial, and the following anec- 
 dote proves his natural goodness of heart. 
 
 An Austrian captain, whose name has escaped 
 my memory, had the misfortune to be mortally 
 wounded, and made prisoner during one of the hot 
 battles in Upper Hungary, in tie month of January. 
 
72 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 Gorgey hurried to him after the engagement, re- 
 commended him to the special care of the best 
 surgeon, and finally asked him whether he could 
 do anything for him ; upon which the dying man 
 expressed a wish once more to see his wife, who 
 resided at Eperies. Gorgey wrote immediately 
 to F. M. L. Count Schlick, and, acquainting him 
 with the circumstance,begged that the captain's wish 
 might be fulfilled. Count Schlick complied with 
 the request, and took that opportunity of thanking 
 Gorgey for his humane treatment of the prisoners. 
 This was related to me by an officer of our regi- 
 ment who had also been captured, and was the 
 bearer of the letter alluded to. 
 
 Another fine trait of Gorgey 's was his generous 
 treatment of General Baron Gotz, who was mor- 
 tally wounded at the battle of Waitzen on the 10th 
 April, 1849. This hero was struck on the head 
 by a ball whilst on the bridge, and in the act of 
 commanding an attack. He fell from his horse 
 immediately, and must have been trampled to 
 death if some of his officers had not passed by, 
 and, conveying him to the nearest house, recom- 
 mended him to the care of the landlord. When 
 Gorgey was informed of this after the engagement, 
 
IN HUNGARY. 
 
 73 
 
 he at ones repaired to the general, and treated him 
 up to the moment of his death with every attention 
 in his power, and by his orders he was buried with 
 all the military honours due to his rank, and the 
 will sent by two parliamentaries to our out- 
 posts. 
 
 What a pity Gorgey was a rebel, since, possessed 
 of a highly-cultivated mind and of great military 
 abilities, he might have rendered essential service 
 to his country had he remained loyal to his lawful 
 sovereign ! 
 
 * * * * 
 
 Previously to closing my account of the action 
 at Winschensdorf, I must relate an incident which 
 occurred during that engagement, and which ex- 
 cited my hilarity notwithstanding the danger of the 
 hour. At the moment of my being surrounded, when 
 my position was most critical, the enemy threaten- 
 ing to cut off our retreat, I became aware that some 
 paper was being torn in my immediate vicinity, 
 and, on turning round, beheld the Imperial courier 
 occupied in tearing up an important dispatch, and, 
 so anxious was he, lest any fragment of it should 
 fall into the hands of the enemy, in the event of 
 his being made prisoner, as he apprehended, that 
 
 E 
 
74 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 he crammed one piece after the other into his 
 mouth. 
 
 " What on earth are you about ?" I inquired. 
 
 " Why, captain," he replied, " it is better to be 
 sure than sorry ; if they make a prisoner of me, 
 and now torture or kill me, it is quite indifferent 
 to me, since the important dispatch confided to my 
 care is in safety." 
 
 It was undoubtedly in safety ; but, when the 
 danger was over, we laughed considerably, and he 
 with us at the indigestible dejeuner devoured with 
 such avidity. 
 
 Having attended to my poor wounded soldiers, 
 I gave the necessary orders relative to our? march- 
 ing to Altendorf, since the animosity of the Win- 
 schensdorf inhabitants towards Imperial, troops 
 was sufficiently evinced by their firing from the 
 windows on the company under the command of 
 Captain Bohur, whom I had sent to meet the 
 enemy. The conduct of the host, and the well- 
 timed attack made upon me by the enemy, who 
 seemed to have been thoroughly acquainted 
 with my movements, made it quite obvious that 
 they had received ample information, and that I 
 was surrounded by spies and traitors, in league 
 with the Lublo and Kesemark rebels. 
 
IN HUNGARY. < O 
 
 All these circumstances combined, rendered it 
 absolutely necessary that I should return to the 
 Gallician frontier, and endeavour to join General 
 Benedek by another route. I therefore proceeded 
 at once on my march thither by Altendorf, which 
 I reached without being disturbed by the enemy, 
 and there I determined to grant my troops a short 
 rest, availing myself of that opportunity to acquaint 
 the officers with my next intended movement. 
 Having decided on leaving a party in command of 
 an officer at Altendorf for observation, I repaired 
 in person with the main body of my troops to 
 Szromovce, about half -an-hour's march from Alten- 
 dorf, on the left bank of the Dunajee, 
 
 There I found a company of the loyal Hungarian 
 regiment, Count Leiningen, guarding the frontier. 
 Although not personally acquainted with any of 
 the officers, they welcomed me most warmly, assur- 
 ing me that, from the account given them by Count 
 Szirmay, who had passed through, and as I heard 
 was suffering greatly from his wounds, that they 
 looked upon me as lost, his own conviction being 
 that, as I could not possibly cope with a force so 
 much greater than my own, I must either be 
 annihilated or taken prisoner, and they were there- 
 
 e 2 
 
76 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 fore doubly delighted to see me. The spies whom 
 I sent out immediately on my arrival, brought me 
 word that the insurgents, who had received con- 
 siderable reinforcements, intended fortifying the 
 Magyura pass ; and, if possible, to destroy the 
 bridge which had been thrown across the Dunajee 
 for the use of the Russian auxiliary troops expected 
 to arrive every day, and that they purposed to 
 attack me the next morning. Their force was 
 estimated at 10,000 men ; I, of course, decided at once 
 to defend the pass; for this purpose, I immediately 
 caused entrenchments to be thrown up as the best 
 means of frustrating the enemy's attempt to render 
 the temporary bridge unavailable. But it was not 
 easy to accomplish this work, the two villages 
 Szromovce and Altendorf being situated in a 
 valley of the Carpathian mountains, to which troops 
 could readily gain access under cover of the sur- 
 rounding woods, unperceived from either place. 
 It was, therefore, extremely easy to surprise me, 
 which I could only guard against by the utmost 
 caution. 
 
 The Hungarians, being aware of the advantages 
 that accrue from a surprise where the adversary is 
 unprepared, made it their favourite manoeuvre 
 
IN HUNGARY. 77 
 
 whenever an opportunity offered. This is one of 
 the reasons why it was absolutely necessary that 
 the Austrian army should act with the utmost 
 circumspection, and observe more than usual 
 caution, since the slightest negligence in out- 
 post service or otherwise was immediately punished 
 by an unforeseen attack of the insurgent army, for 
 the leaders, being accurately informed of the 
 movements made by the smallest detachment of 
 the Austrian army, within the shortest time, were 
 enabled to adopt measures which often proved a 
 great impediment to the mobility of our troops. 
 
 On the evening of my arrival at Szromovce, I 
 had made a report to F. M. L. Baron Hamner- 
 stein, Commander-in-Chief of Gallicia, stating the 
 reasons which had compelled me to retreat to the 
 frontier, as well as the difficulties with which I 
 had to contend, and finally reported the absolute 
 necessity of my remaining at Szromovce, to de- 
 fend the pass until relieved by other troops, as I 
 considered the point too important to abandon. 
 His Excellency's reply was, to defend it at any 
 cost, and to the last man, rather than let it fall 
 into the hands of the enemy ; and, empowering 
 me to act as I thought circumstances demanded. 
 
78 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 In the meantime, aided by the peasantry, I for- 
 tified the pass with uninterrupted activity. 
 
 The most necessary trenches had only just 
 been completed, when the frequent appearance 
 of hussars, probably reconnoitring patrols, be- 
 tokened the enemy's approach. Prepared to 
 receive them, I hastened to the Company of 
 Leiningen Infantry placed under my command, 
 and addressing the men, who were mostly Tran- 
 sylvanians, in their own language, which I was 
 fortunately well acquainted with, I bade them 
 remember their oath to the Austrian Colours, 
 and the allegiance they owed to his Majesty the 
 Emperor, and concluded my speech by saying 
 that I felt convinced, they would not abuse the 
 confidence I placed in them, or disgrace their 
 uniform by becoming traitors. An enthusiastic 
 cheer for the Emperor was the answer to my 
 appeal ; its sincerity giving me the assurance that 
 I could trust them as well as the Magyars, who 
 had joined so loudly in the hurrah. I was not 
 disappointed, for they behaved with undaunted 
 bravery. 
 
 I then reconnoitred from an elevated spot of 
 ground which commanded the country around, 
 
IN HUNGARY. 79 
 
 and, with the aid of my telescope, soon made out 
 the enemy. But what was my astonishment to 
 see the Mayor of Altendorf, to whom I had given 
 the strictest orders to acquaint me with the ap- 
 proach of the insurgents (and prohibited on pain 
 of death, from holding any communication with 
 the enemy ) engaged in earnest conversation with 
 two insurgent officers on horseback ! By his 
 gesticulations, I could see that he was informing 
 them of my exact position, and the strength of 
 my troops, after which he parted from them in 
 somewhat friendly terms, and by a circuitous road 
 strolled over the bridge, as if he were admiring 
 the beauties of nature, 
 
 It may be supposed, that, anxious to be the 
 first to hear what he had to say, I hastened to 
 meet him: for, after all, chance might have 
 brought him into collision with the enemy, who 
 had perhaps forced him to betray me ; if so, he 
 would, of course, give me an account of what had 
 occurred. I accosted him with assumed indiffer- 
 ence, saying calmly, "What news? Have you 
 seen or heard anything of the enemy ? " 
 
 " No," replied he, carelessly. " You may be 
 quite at your ease : I know nothing of the enemy 
 
80 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 but I came to ask how much meat and wine you 
 require to-morrow for your troops ?" 
 
 " So, that is your errand," I resumed, giving 
 him one more chance. " You have no important 
 information to give me ? " 
 
 " None," he replied, with a perceptible tremour 
 in his voice, this time. 
 
 " Look at this telescope, traitor, and tremble, 
 for know that from the top of yonder mountain 
 I witnessed your interview with the insurgent 
 officers, who are approaching with a column and 
 intend taking me by surprise, thanks to the in- 
 formation you have given them of my strength 
 and position, for which culpable treachery, I shall 
 send you to New Sandee, this very day, where 
 you shall meet with the punishment awarded by 
 martial law to spies. 
 
 Upon this, the traitor, falling on his knees, gave 
 me a detailed and accurate account of the enemy's 
 intentions, unasked, hoping thus to obtain his 
 pardon. I reminded him of the warning I had 
 given him on entering the village, not to tamper 
 with the enemy if he valued his life. Whereupon, 
 I told him he must take the consequences of his 
 folly, and, as soon as the necessary arrangements 
 
IN HUNGARY. 81 
 
 were completed, I sent him with an escort to 
 Sandee. 
 
 Whilst I had been thus engaged, the leader of 
 the Guerillas, awaiting some signal from the 
 faithless Mayor, who was already a prisoner in 
 the guard-house, had approached with some of his 
 officers. I was not a little astonished to see him 
 gradually appear on an elevated ground, and look 
 about cautiously with a telescope, whereupon I 
 made use of mine. Our eyes met, and we very 
 civilly saluted each other. In the meantime, 
 several officers joined me, to whom I pointed out 
 the group. The leader of the Guerillas perceiving 
 us took off his plumed hat, and the faint sound of 
 " Elljiu Kossuth," was borne to us by the evening 
 breeze, echoed by many voices, upon which we 
 waved our tschaikos, and responded to the call 
 by Es lebe brock* our Emperor Francis Joseph. 
 Soon after this, the surrounding heights were 
 crowned by the enemy's forces, who were display- 
 ing their strength, with evident intentions of 
 commencing an attack, although they restricted 
 themselves during an entire day, to petty skir- 
 mishes, in which I lost several excellent soldiers. 
 
 * Long life to. 
 
 E S 
 
82 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 At dusk, however, the enemy seemed seriously 
 inclined to take to the offensive, and approach the 
 well-guarded banks of the river, with the intention 
 of setting fire to the bridge. Guessing the ob- 
 ject which this detachment had in view, I sent 
 a party to threaten them in the flank, whilst I 
 opened a smart fire on their front. The skirmish- 
 ing was kept up with considerable obstinacy on 
 both sides, for several hours. The Guerillas 
 stood their ground firmly : at length, however, 
 some of our shots must have told well, for I heard 
 a voice from the opposite shore exclaim in German, 
 " Herr* Captain let us retreat ere it is too late, 
 our loss is already considerable," and shortly after, 
 they retired hastily, without disturbing us further. 
 The next morning, I received a report that an 
 insurgent corps, consisting of 500 rifle sharp- 
 shooters, was approaching, with the apparent in- 
 tention of attacking me again. My troops were 
 quickly at their posts, and the military points 
 were occupied, whilst the enemy stealthily ap- 
 proached, and at last came within shot, upon 
 which I opened my fire. Our first volley deprived 
 the enemy of an officer and two privates. The 
 
 . * Monsieur. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 
 
 83 
 
 insurgents kept up their fire nearly the whole 
 day, without doing me any serious injury, not- 
 withstanding that their excellent muskets carried 
 a distance of six hundred paces ! 
 
 I held the pass for about a fortnight, and 
 during that period was subject to frequent attacks 
 on the part of the enemy, which compelled me 
 to send out constant patrols, with a view of 
 observing their movements, and frustrating their 
 designs. 
 
 Unable to profit by the shelter of the village 
 in our immediate vicinity, I was forced to en- 
 camp, and expose my harassed troops to the in- 
 clemency of the weather. 
 
 As matters stood, I could not obtain a mo- 
 ment's rest myself; for, besides my military occu- 
 pations, my time was taken up by the constant 
 arrival of couriers and estafettes, who came every 
 hour of the day to obtain information from me 
 as to the stations of the different troops in Hun- 
 gary, which it was not in my power to give, as I 
 had been compelled to retreat. 
 
 For many reasons, I naturally looked forward 
 with anxiety to the arrival of the Russian troops, 
 who were advancing fast, and at last I was 
 
84 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 agreeably surprised by the unexpected appearance 
 
 of Captain H , of the Fiirstemvarther Infantry, 
 
 who served as a guide to the Russian corps under 
 the command of General Baron Saas, already 
 stationed at Spitkouru, and came to obtain accu- 
 rate information as to the strength and position 
 of the insurgents, who were reported to be sta- 
 tioned in the Zips. I sent spies and patrols to 
 reconnoitre, from whom I ascertained that an in- 
 ferior force had taken up a position in the Magyura 
 mountains ; but excepting those, the country was 
 clear, owing perhaps to the rapid approach of the 
 Russians. 
 
 Captain H left Szromovce the next day, 
 
 and shortly after I received an order to break up 
 on the 17th, and march to Bielitz, where I 
 should find the brigade stationed. I therefore 
 sent Lieutenant Count Nys on the 16th, with 
 a detachment, to regulate quarters ; and, on the 
 17th, at one o'clock in the morning, I left 
 Szromovce with my division. It had been rain- 
 ing up to midnight ; the roads were, therefore, 
 in a dreadful state, and not favoured by the moon ; 
 we waded through the mud in the dark. 
 
 About ten miles from Szromovce, a horseman 
 
IN HUNGARY. 85 
 
 overtook me in full gallop. It was an estafette 
 from head-quarters with a dispatch, which it was 
 impossible to read, the night being so intensely- 
 dark, and not a house to be found where I could 
 obtain a light. Fortunately, one of my corporals 
 had matches about him, which he lighted, and, 
 taking off his tschako, made a lantern of it, and 
 thus I was enabled to read the dispatch. It con- 
 tained an order to remain at Szromovce until the 
 arrival of Russian troops. I returned to Szromovce, 
 not over-pleased, but sent a messenger to Count 
 Nys, with instructions to remain at Neumar- 
 ket, which he had already reached, and repair 
 to Spitkowiee, the head-quarters of the Russian 
 corps, for the purpose of acquainting the Russian 
 General Baron Saas, that I awaited with anxiety, 
 to be relieved by his troops at Szromovce, in 
 order to be able to join my regiment. His 
 reply was, that he could not comply with my 
 request at present. Nor was it necessary, 
 since the enemy had, to all appearance, retired into 
 the interior of the country. 
 
 This report I then sent to head-quarters, and, 
 on the 20th of May, I once more received an 
 order to re-enter Hungary, and join the Brigade 
 
86 
 
 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 of General Barco, now at Czaga, that of General 
 Benedek being already too far advanced in the 
 interior of the country to render my reaching him 
 practicable. My orders were, to draw money in 
 (New Sandee) Gallicia, for my men, when I 
 should receive final instructions. My division, 
 therefore, preceded me to Sucho, whilst I repaired 
 
 to New Sandee, where I met with Count S y, 
 
 whose wound had not yet permitted him to pro- 
 ceed. He told me that Sandee was filled with 
 families from Upper Hungary, who had been com- 
 pelled to fly, owing to the reign of terror brought 
 about by the Kossuth faction. 
 
 Count S y invited me to dinner, and took 
 
 that opportunity of introducing several Hunga- 
 rians of distinction tome, who complained bitterly 
 of the arrogance, as well as the despotism of the 
 Provisional Government, and assured me that it 
 was with difficulty they succeeded in escaping 
 with their lives. 
 
 I left Sandee at six o'clock the next morning, 
 and reached Sucho, where my division awaited 
 me. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 87 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The Cossack Troops — The Russian Cavalry — Seibusch — 
 A Day's Gaiety — A Night's Bivouac at Czaga — Arrival 
 at the Camp near Budatin — The Castle of Budatin — 
 Attack on the Castle — Its Defence and Destruction — 
 Sillein — The Cholera — Arrival of Two Cossacks at the 
 Camp — Reconnoitring Expedition— A Dinner Party of 
 Thirteen — Scenes in the Camp at Budatin — My de- 
 parture. 
 
 My way now lying through Gallicia by Neu- 
 mark and Seibusch, we were out of the enemy's 
 reach, it was once more permitted to us to indulge 
 in the luxury of a good room, and soft bed, which 
 seemed doubly delightful after having been de- 
 prived of these comforts so long. The friendly 
 welcome we received everywhere was not less 
 pleasing. 
 
 In marching through Gallicia, I had an oppor- 
 tunity of seeing the Russian troops. The Cos- 
 
88 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 sacks, the vanguard of all Russian troops, were 
 the first I met. Their horses are generally small, 
 thin, and insignificant-looking, but most enduring. 
 The saddles are extremely plain, and of coarse 
 workmanship. The uniform of the rider is a 
 blue short coat, trousers of the same colour, 
 drawn tight at the ancle, a long grey cloak, 
 which is worn by the Russian army in general, 
 and boots without spurs. The Cossack is well 
 armed, having an Asiatic sabre by his side, and 
 a long gun, well protected by a case, which hangs 
 across his shoulders. In front of his saddle are a 
 pair of pistols, as well as a very long pike, or 
 lance ; and in his right hand he has the kamts- 
 chuck, a Russian short whip. 
 
 The Cossacks, whose appearance is extremely 
 martial, will endure incredible hardships, and are 
 untiring in pursuit of the enemy, whom they will 
 worry unceasingly ; indefatigable, they give them 
 not a moment's respite, and alarming them con- 
 stantly reduce them to despair. But they would 
 be less useful in an assault ; wherefore, their ser- 
 vice is confined to important patrols, daring expe- 
 ditions that often approach the fabulous, to seek 
 and spy out the enemy at a marvellous distance. A 
 
IN HUNGARY. 89 
 
 first-rate rider, trie Cossack is completely master 
 of his horse, for which he entertains the greatest 
 affection ; and, by bestowing every care and atten- 
 tion on it can do almost anything he pleases with 
 the sagacious animal. 
 
 In the course of the campaign, I had manifold 
 opportunities of admiring the extraordinary skill 
 and agility of the Cossack : many artists perform- 
 ing at Astley's might envy the Russian equestrian 
 for a talent which seems innate. To hit a mark 
 at full gallop, or to take up a handkerchief, or 
 pipe, from the ground, with the point of the lance 
 is nothing unusual. He trains his horse to answer 
 his call like a dog; and, when on outpost- 
 service, leaves it free to graze, provided the dis- 
 tance of the enemy permits of his doing so. 
 When he wishes to mount, he simply whistles, 
 and the faithful creature gallops up to him, like 
 the most obedient spaniel. 
 
 As the Cossack finds the most insignificant things 
 useful, he takes all that comes in his way, accord- 
 ing to the rules of warfare, and places it between 
 the blanket and the saddle ; his acquisitions thus 
 increase the height of his saddle, in proportion to 
 the length of his absence from home. This 
 
90 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 singular mode of conveying his booty that often 
 accumulates, until it is impossible for him to mount, 
 has a very comical appearance. His horse, trained 
 purposely, kneels down at his master's command, 
 to allow him to mount, and quietly awaits the 
 signal given with the kamtschuck to gallop away. 
 
 The cavalry attest the opulency of Russia as 
 respects horses ; for instance, I met the Radetzky 
 Hussars on white chargers ; then a lancer regiment 
 on black, and the same with the artillery, every 
 battery being drawn by horses of the same colour. 
 Their appointments are excellent, their horses 
 magnificent, and the conformity of their uniforms 
 and accoutrements is observable in the minutest 
 details. The cavalry regiments are composed of 
 robust athletic men, full of life and energy. The 
 infantry looked less healthy, and had a care-worn 
 appearance, which was perhaps attributable to the 
 extremely long and fatiguing marches made by 
 these troops from the remotest parts of Russia. 
 
 The Russian is an excellent soldier, stands un- 
 moved in the hottest fire, and endures every species 
 of fatigue with the greatest equanimity. 
 
 My next station was Seibusch, a neat little town 
 belonging to the Archduke Albrecht in the Car- 
 
IN HUNGARY. 91 
 
 pathian Mountains, and surrounded by beautiful 
 scenery. 
 
 The palace and grounds are very prettily 
 situated, and we were not a little delighted to find 
 the Regiment Deutchmeister on its way to join 
 the Imperial troops in Hungary. I heartily shook 
 by the hand many of the officers with whom I 
 was personally acquainted, and an affectionate 
 Griisse duh gott was heard from all sides. The 
 Regiment Deutchmeister, composed mostly of 
 Viennese, is proverbial for wit, good humour, and 
 gaiety. From them we heard, that the band 
 would revive our drooping spirits by a few re- 
 miniscences of Strauss if we came to the Park, 
 which we promised to do, and, an hour later, the 
 Winschensdorf rebels had not recognised their 
 enemy, in the officers standing in groups round 
 the music, each relating his adventures, some of 
 which were ludicrous enough ; and, whenever a 
 pause occurred in the orchestra, many a loud laugh 
 was heard. 
 
 Some of our young officers had managed to 
 make themselves smart enough, notwithstanding 
 the various misfortunes that had already befallen 
 our uniform, and impaired our general neat appear- 
 
92 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 ance. They seemed quite to forget the imminent 
 danger we had so lately escaped, in the sweet 
 smiles lavished upon them by the fair beauties of 
 Seibusch, and its vicinity, who appeared on the 
 occasion. The sincere welcome we received at 
 the hands of the inhabitants, who vied with each 
 other in procuring every sort of comfort for us, 
 as well as for the men, was truly gratifying. 
 
 Anxious to grant my harassed troops some rest, 
 and give them time to repair their clothing, and 
 appointments, which had already suffered lament- 
 ably, particularly the former, I remained two 
 days, and then, after a considerable march, crossed 
 the Hungarian frontier, for the second time, by 
 Czaga, a Sclavonian village situated in the 
 Carpathian Mountains. 
 
 The rain was coming down in torrents, which 
 did not improve our white uniforms. We found 
 the mountain roads in a dreadful state, partly 
 owing to the weather, but more particularly to 
 the ingenuity of the insurgents, who had broken 
 the road at short intervals, and, although the 
 troops that had preceded us had evidently repaired 
 it hastily, in order to facilitate their march, the 
 way was yet bad enough. I encamped outside 
 
IN HUNGARY. 93 
 
 Czaga, placed the necessary videttes, and our sol- 
 diers having lighted a fire, we sate round it, and 
 commenced drawing on our provisions, but more 
 particularly on the bottle-case, which I had taken 
 care to fill with good wine in Seibusch, and, not- 
 withstanding the rain and other disagreeables, we 
 officers contrived to enjoy ourselves. 
 
 It is scarcely possible to conceive anything 
 more uncomfortable than to sit thoroughly 
 drenched under a continual shower of rain, which 
 threatened to put out the fire, at the side of which 
 we had hoped if not to warm, at least to dry our- 
 selves. But habit is everything — this was not 
 our first bivouac, and we soon accustomed our- 
 selves to this, as well as to other discomforts. He 
 must indeed be a bad soldier who cannot content 
 himself, when plentifully supplied with provisions, 
 and this being the case with us there, we were 
 gay, and sat over our mulled wine till late at 
 night, enlivened by many a good story of olden 
 times. Midnight was long past, ere I wrapped 
 myself close by the camp-fire in my bunda, lis- 
 tening to the cry of our outposts as they challenged 
 the patrol in their rounds through the sleepless 
 night. 
 
94 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 Towards morning, the rain having gradually 
 ceased, we resumed our march, much refreshed, 
 and consequently in high spirits, through the beau- 
 tiful Kiszytha valley to Budatin, where we found 
 the brigade of General Bario encamped, under 
 whose command I was placed with my troops till 
 further orders. General Baron Bario is a native 
 of Hungary, full of energy and valour ; he re- 
 ceived me in the most friendly manner, reviewed 
 my troops, and I then by his order encamped near 
 the artillery. 
 
 Budatin, which lies at the confluence of the 
 Kiszytha, and the Waag, is an insignificant village, 
 belonging to Count Czaky, whose splendid castle 
 and park are now laid waste. I might have 
 looked with sadness at the ruin if I did not know 
 that its owner a rebel, had himself in the month 
 of November besieged it from the opposite shore, 
 and destroyed the building when in possession of 
 our troops. As the castle had been taken by 
 the first battalion of our regiment under the com- 
 mand of Colonel F n, some interesting details 
 
 were furnished me by those of my fellow officers 
 who were more fortunate than myself in being en- 
 gaged in that action. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 95 
 
 It was about four o'clock on the 10th of No- 
 vember, that Colonel F n advanced, and at- 
 tacked the enemy, who thought himself perfectly 
 secure behind his entrenchments and fences. After 
 some resistance, our battalion took possession of 
 the castle, and forced the enemy to retreat across 
 the wooden bridge which he set fire to, and then 
 taking a firm position on the banks of the Waag, 
 Count Czaky ordered the castle to be bombarded, 
 sparing neither the grounds nor the building. 
 
 When our troops entered the interior of the 
 castle, they found a table laid for forty, and a very 
 sumptuous fare awaiting only the guests ; it was 
 evident that the enemy had intended sitting down 
 to dinner when the attack commenced, and thus 
 the proverb, " It is an ill wind that blows nobody 
 good " was verified, for our troops, tired from the 
 tedious march, and hungry after long fasting, sate 
 down, and not even the occasional entry of a 
 cannon-ball could disturb them in their occu- 
 pation. 
 
 A suite of apartments splendidly furnished, 
 were open, each bearing traces of the comforts so 
 recently enjoyed. The folding-doors opening 
 from one room into the other showed, here, an 
 
96 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 open escritoire, a table strewed with papers, evi- 
 dently the Count's study, some books, and a piano. 
 My fellow officers assured me, that it was with a 
 painful feeling they witnessed this wholesale des- 
 truction : one piece of splendid furniture after 
 the other ; here the painting of a Reubens, there, 
 an etagere with Sevres china shattered by cannon- 
 balls. The most elegantly-furnished apartment 
 was the Countess's boudoir, which was completely 
 destroyed by a grenade that made its way through 
 a suite of rooms, burst there, and caused sad havoc ; 
 a beautiful framed looking glass, then several 
 etageres containing valuable rococo ornaments, 
 large expensive porcelain vases were in an instant 
 shattered into a thousand pieces. 
 
 Our troops behaved admirably on this occasion, 
 although the enemy's force consisted of four bat- 
 talions and eight cannons, far superior to that at 
 the command of our colonel, who had only four 
 companies and three rockets ; he yet drove them 
 from their entrenchments, out of the castle, 
 and forced them across the bridge, which, having 
 been set fire to, and our troops being too inferior 
 
 in number to pursue them further, Colonel F -n 
 
 retired, and, in order to deceive the enemy, lighted 
 
IN HUNGARY. 
 
 97 
 
 watch-fires in the immediate vicinity of the castle. 
 This stratagem succeeded completely; cannon 
 after cannon, rockets and grenades were sent into 
 the deserted castle by its owner ; whilst those for 
 whom he intended the murderous balls were al- 
 ready far beyond their reach, and, at the distance 
 of some English miles, still heard the roar of the 
 
 cannon at Budatin. Colonel F n retired to 
 
 Jablunka, from whence he made a report stating 
 the impossibility of following up the advantages 
 he had gained, owing to the forces not being suf- 
 ficient. 
 
 A brigade was then ordered to advance with a 
 view to the security of the valuable gold and silver 
 mines of Skemnity and Kremnity, which, lying in 
 that direction, it became an object of importance 
 to cover. Colonel F n, attached to the bri- 
 gade of General Baron Gotz, then took an active 
 part in the second attack on this castle in January, 
 1849, on which occasion it was burned to the 
 ground after a bloody contest. 
 
 A high round tower and the four walls are the 
 only remains of the once beautiful castle of Count 
 Czaky. I ascended the tower, and in viewing the 
 destruction around me, the unavoidable ]esults of 
 
 F 
 
98 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 civil warfare, an indescribable sadness stole over 
 me, which was only dispelled by the view opening 
 upon me suddenly, of the most beautiful mountain 
 landscape, between which, and the spot where I 
 stood, lay the valley of the Waag ; and I must 
 acknowledge, that the enchanting distance made 
 me forget for a time, the scene of desolation in 
 the foreground. 
 
 On the left bank of the Waag, opposite Budatin, 
 lies Sillein, once a pretty little town, but which is 
 now partly reduced to ashes, ow T ing to a serious 
 political difference on the part of the inhabitants. 
 
 To us the task of maintaining this important 
 position was allotted, until the Russian division, 
 under general Baron Saas, should have advanced 
 sufficiently to relieve us, when we were to con- 
 tinue our march on the right bank of the Waag, 
 and thus reach Presburg, to join the army operat- 
 ing under the immediate command of the Baron 
 Haynau. During our stay in the camp of Budatin, 
 w r e had the most magnificent weather, notwith- 
 standing which, the cholera broke out in its worst 
 form, and with fearful violence, carrying off our 
 men with alarming rapidity. The devastation 
 caused by this epidemic amongst our soldiery, and 
 
IN HUNGARY. 99 
 
 the loss of some of our most valued comrades, 
 acted depressingly on our spirits, which revived 
 considerably, when a report was spread through 
 the camp, that Cossacks, and most probably the 
 advanced posts of the Russians who were to re- 
 lieve us, were now in sight. The universal joy 
 at this announcement bringing with it the hope 
 that we should now leave the camp which had be- 
 come a churchyard, cannot be described, and all 
 hurried to the spot, from whence they had been 
 seen, and true enough, in the direction of Ujfala, 
 in the windings of the Kissutga valley, we distin- 
 guished two riders, whose well known, high- 
 packed saddles, indicated the nature of the force 
 that was approaching the camp. 
 
 It proved to be a Gossack Patrol sent with dis- 
 patches from general Baron Saas to general Baron 
 Barco. On their approach, our soldiers gave a 
 loud cheer, and all crowded round the Russians 
 with a thousand questions, such as from whence 
 they came, how far the Russian camp was distant, 
 and so on ? The opinion generally entertained 
 of the Cossack is, that he comes immediately 
 after the wild Indian, and has no idea of civiliza- 
 tion ; I therefore think I am bound injustice to 
 
 f 2 
 
100 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 this gallant body to give an account of the 
 following scene which may not prove uninter- 
 esting. 
 
 General Baron Barco being extremely curious 
 to ascertain what degree of civilization these chil- 
 dren of the Steppes had arrived at, invited both to 
 dinner, placing one on his right and the other on 
 his left. We had thus an opportunity of admiring 
 the excellent manners, and good tact displayed by 
 them, under, as every one must allow, rather trying 
 circumstances, such a distinction having probably 
 never yet been conferred on the Cossack Patrol. 
 
 During dinner, our General gave a toast to the 
 Emperor Nicholas ; the elder of the two Russian 
 soldiers replied with a toast to our gracious 
 Emperor, Francis Joseph, and, after a moment's 
 reflection, proposed a second toast to the Austrian 
 army. Both had been given in the most dignified 
 manner, and with a degree of politeness that 
 quite amazed us. 
 
 The only thing which seemed to embarrass 
 them, was when the servants handed the coffee 
 round, which they acknowledged never yet to 
 have seen, and candidly confessed their igno- 
 rance as to how it should be taken, and it even- 
 
IN HUNGARY. 101 
 
 tually ended in their drinking coffee and wine 
 alternately. Cigars, too, were a subject of won- 
 der to them, and on these two occasions only, 
 their awkwardness elicited a smile from us, for, 
 throughout the dinner, their demeanour was such 
 that it might serve as a model to many a soi-disant 
 gentleman. 
 
 The heat increasing with every day, was not 
 calculated to render our bivouacs very agreeable ; 
 but, when at last the most exaggerated reports 
 which reached us, to the effect that a large insur- 
 gent force, consisting of Infantry, Cavalry, and 
 Artillery, threatened to attack us in the rear and 
 flank, compelled us to remain constantly under 
 arms, the exposure to so hot a sun became almost 
 intolerable. Alarming as the news was with 
 respect to the enemy, we were yet excessively 
 annoyed at his non-appearance, and as, notwith- 
 standing all the measures adopted, for the purpose 
 of ascertaining the whereabouts of the foe, it 
 seemed utterly impossible to obtain any certitude 
 of his movements, I at last proposed to Count 
 Mathew M -y, an Irishman, Major in the Se- 
 cond Light Cavalry, and a most distinguished 
 officer, that we should undertake a reconnoitring 
 
102 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 expedition for the "benefit of the public in gene- 
 ral, and our own in particular. 
 
 Having obtained the general's permission, we 
 threw off our coats, waistcoats, and neckcloths, 
 which would have been insupportable from their 
 tight fit* and warm texture, for the heat had 
 attained an almost tropical degree of temperature, 
 we took our forage caps and swords, mounted 
 our horses, and galloped away. We rode for 
 miles through the mountains, without seeing a 
 soul ; all was still, calm, and beautiful. At length, 
 we descried a village, towards which we made, 
 hoping to obtain some information, and with a 
 view of allaying our thirst. 
 
 We were so strangely accoutred, so unlike 
 Austrian officers in our deshabille, that the 
 villagers (Sclavonians), did not know what to 
 make of us, and, on our addressing them, were 
 extremely cautious in answering, being evidently 
 uncertain whether we were insurgents, or Impe^ 
 rialists. We had recourse to all the diplomacy 
 at our command, and put such questions as we 
 thought calculated to elicit some sort of decided 
 answers with regard to the enemy's movements, 
 but we were disappointed, for they replied with 
 
IN HUNGARY. 103 
 
 either assumed, or real indifference, that they 
 could give us no information. We then paid for 
 our milk, which had been handed to us b}^ a 
 very pretty Sclav onian girl, whose dark eyes and 
 long black tresses, as she stood before us, with all 
 the pride of her race in her picturesque costume, 
 we could not but admire, and, considerably 
 refreshed, continued our route, until the setting 
 sun compelled us to think of returning to the 
 camp. We found the ascent of the mountains 
 we had traversed, far easier than the descent 
 which in some places was so steep that we dis- 
 mounted, thinking it safer to lead our horses. 
 More than once, however, we slipped some yards 
 and our panting steeds after us. 
 
 At the foot of the mountain, we came upon 
 an inviting little stream, which, bubbling past as 
 clear as crystal, only made us feel the parching 
 thirst we had endured for the last half hour 
 more keenly. With the bridle on our arm, we 
 stooped to take a reviving draught ; our horses 
 too, lowered their heads eagerly, and we threw 
 ourselves on the bank of this little rivulet, to 
 let them have a drink at their ease. Man and 
 horse refreshed, we galloped gaily on, when sud- 
 
104 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 denlywe were accosted by the words " Halt wer 
 da ! V* Astonished, we looked to the elevated 
 ground from whence the voice had spoken; it 
 was one of our advanced posts, of whose exis- 
 tence we were not even aware, presenting his 
 musket ready to fire the very next moment. " We 
 are officers from the camp," was our hasty 
 reply, for the soldier seemed bent on executing 
 his duty to the letter, and shoot us on the spot, 
 if we advanced, surveying us from head to foot 
 with a glance that shewed he took us for insur- 
 gents, which was not astonishing, all things con- 
 sidered ; for, in the first place, our appearance 
 was not in our favour, and, secondly, we had left 
 the camp from a different side. Having, how- 
 ever, assured himself that we rode towards the 
 camp, and must really be officers, he suffered us 
 to pass. 
 
 Our announcement that we had seen and heard 
 nothing of the enemy, caused general disappoint- 
 ment, whilst we consoled ourselves with the 
 splendid scenery which we had an opportunity of 
 admiring during our lengthened ride, and certainly 
 the view from the different heights we had ascended 
 was magnificent. The delightful valley of the Waag 
 
 * Who goes there ? 
 
IN HUNGARY. 105 
 
 at our feet, the celebrated Turotzer and Rajetzer 
 Pass, as awful as it is grand, in the foreground, here 
 and there some fine old ruins, former mansions of 
 the great, and remnants of the Rakoezy times, 
 together with the imposing majestic Carpathian 
 mountains in the back-ground, made the picture 
 a masterpiece of nature. In gazing on the beau- 
 tiful country that lay before us, we regretted 
 more deeply than ever to think that it would be 
 laid waste by all the horrors of civil war. 
 
 Who has not heard of the prejudice that if 
 thirteen sit down to dinner, one of the number is 
 doomed to die within a year ? Many I know 
 believe in it firmly, others laugh at it without 
 venturing to ^pronounce an opinion as to which 
 party he thinks the more sensible of the two ; I 
 shall simply state a fact that occurred. 
 
 Shortly after my arrival at Budatin, I was 
 asked to dine at General Baron Barcos. We had 
 all taken our seats, when one of the gentlemen 
 remarked that we were thirteen, and alluded to 
 the superstition that one of the number would 
 die before the year was out. " Well, then," I re- 
 plied with a smile, "I shall probably be the victim, 
 having sate down last." 
 
 f 3 
 
106 
 
 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 This gave rise to numerous anecdotes and jokes 
 all referring to that superstition, and none laughed 
 more heartily than Lieutenant-Colonel Keller, 
 an universal favourite. The subject dropped at 
 last, our good stories on that head being exhausted, 
 and we soon forgot all about it in the more serious 
 topic of future events. Three days afterwards, 
 the cholera made its appearance, and the first 
 victim was poor Lieutenant-Colonel Keller. Those 
 who had been present, and believed in that pre- 
 judice, were not a little awed by this singular and 
 sad coincidence. 
 
 Our days passed monotonously enough, and we 
 should very soon have got heartily tired of our 
 mode of life, if the soldiers had not aiForded us 
 some amusement. I often wondered at the ex- 
 traordinary good spirits of my men, who, not- 
 withstanding that the cholera thinned their ranks 
 with fearful rapidity, yet originated fresh games 
 every day, which never failed to attract the greater 
 part of the camp. The soldiers of my division 
 particularly, had made themselves conspicuous by 
 the novelty of their inventions, and every evening, 
 when the excessive heat had somewhat decreased, 
 numbers were in the habit of meeting. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 107 
 
 The most boisterous shouts of laughter were 
 always heard when a game called " Fenhsprellen," 
 for which the English denomination is blanket 
 tossing, was going on ; it consists in this : four men 
 each hold a corner of a strong blanket, upon which 
 they place a man — and, by stretching the blanket, 
 very quickly toss him into the air, and catch him 
 alternately, whilst he makes the most comical and 
 ludicrous gesticulations in his ascent. 
 
 One day, a very pretty girl unfortunately en- 
 tered the circle to look on. She was immediately 
 caught and thrown into the blanket, notwithstand- 
 ing her protestations. I never remember to have 
 laughed so much as when she suddenly appeared 
 in the air, exhibiting the funniest attitudes, and 
 screaming lustily. The soldiers only gave her 
 one toss, and then very gallantly thanked her, 
 hoping she would honour them another time with 
 her presence. But she went away with a pouting 
 lip and a toss of the head, and the next time took 
 care not to enter the circle. 
 
 On other occasions, they amused themselves 
 with caricature-representations of men on horse- 
 back. One would appear disguised as a stork, 
 another as an elephant ; in fact, all descriptions of 
 
108 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 animals appeared on the stage, one more ludicrous 
 than another, Then, a soldier would dress as a 
 Staff Officer with a wooden sword, a sash, and 
 plume of straw, pretending to survey recruits, 
 who,; of course, did every thing wrong purposely, 
 upon which the soi-disant General became very 
 angry and scolded his aide-de-camp, mounted in 
 the same fashion as himself. When the General's 
 ire would be at its height, his mutinous horse in- 
 variably threw him off to the delight of the 
 recruits. 
 
 Thus the evening passed ; at dusk, the soldiers 
 tired, sat round the bivouac-fire; shouts of laughter 
 still met our ears ; whilst others sang their plain- 
 tive native airs with so much feeling that we 
 officers often listened till midnight, seated round a 
 bright blaze, and waiting for the water to boil, that 
 we might make our chai. We often remarked how 
 many of the performers that mingled in the chorus 
 might have become first-rate singers, if their 
 talent were cultivated. 
 
 This innate taste for music is found with the 
 Austrian as well as the Bohemian soldiers, and 
 singing being their favourite pastime, they become 
 self-taught artists. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 109 
 
 I was quite astonished on one of the evenings 
 
 that I spent with a friend of mine, Baron K r, 
 
 major of Kaiser Ferdinand's Chevaux Legers, to 
 hear his soldiers, who were all Austrians, jugling* 
 forth their national airs, in imitation of the Tyro- 
 leans, who possess that art to perfection. One of 
 his men, too, who had never been instructed in 
 music, most successfully composed a song in 
 honour of Count Schlick, who it is well known, is 
 adored by the army, and sang it amidst the cheers 
 of his comrades. It was a gay life after all, and 
 we should have enjoyed many a happy hour 
 were it not for that dreadful epidemic, which 
 often appeared so unexpectedly, that the gay 
 song was interrupted by the ghastly visitor, and 
 perhaps, before morning dawned, those who had 
 been gayest that evening lay in a cold grave. 
 There was scarcely a day when thirty or forty 
 did not fall victims to the cholera. 
 
 On the 9th of June, I received an order to 
 quit the camp at Budatin with my division, 
 and march along the right bank of the Waag 
 by Presburg to Kroatich Kimling, where I 
 
 * A peculiar way of singing. 
 
110 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 should find my regiment. I therefore broke up 
 the next morning, the 10th of June, after having 
 been inspected by General Baron Barco, who 
 with many others of the staff, accompanied me 
 part of the way. It was natural that a tinge 
 of sadness should steal over us on leaving the 
 camp, for how many of the dear friends I parted 
 from now might I miss on our next meeting 
 with the same corps ! But the soldier may not 
 indulge in those feelings — he may have no home, 
 no hearth, no tie that binds him whilst the 
 sword is unsheathed. The weather was most 
 favourable, and we therefore marched cheerfully 
 towards our new destination. 
 
 The valley of the Waag, through which the 
 river of that name flows, on its descent from 
 the Carpathian Mountains, is replete with sce- 
 nery which may vie for romantic splendour with 
 any other in Europe. The beauties of nature 
 are much enhanced by the majestic old ruins 
 and well preserved castles, belonging to various 
 Hungarian magnates, which look down from 
 their lofty mountain fastnesses upon the fertile 
 vale beneath, and I should be very much inclined 
 to think that the luxuriant vegetation, the 
 
IN HUNGARY. Ill 
 
 delightful climate, and variety of magnificent sce- 
 nery, render this by far, the most attractive spot 
 in the beautiful Magyar land. A succession of 
 neat towns, villages, and chateaux on either bank 
 of the Waag, give this landscape an additional 
 charm, and nothing reminds one there of Hun- 
 gary's misery. 
 
112 
 
 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Bicse — Trentschin — General Baron Benedek — Ruins of 
 Trentschin — The Drathbinders — Their Habits, Manners, 
 and Customs — Arrival at Tyrnau Feldzeugmeister 
 Baron Haynau — An agreeable Surprise — Gorgey's at- 
 tempt to break through the line of the Waag — Pered 
 and Kiraly-New are taken by our troops — The enemy's 
 retreat to Negged — March to Presburg, and thence to 
 Altendorf— F. M. S. Count Schlick — I join my regiment 
 at Croatich Kimling. 
 
 At eleven o'clock, I reached Bicse, a neat 
 little town, where I was well received and obtained 
 good quarters for the soldiers. I left early the 
 next morning, and found this one of the most 
 troublesome marches I had yet encountered, for 
 my troops were so completely exhausted from the 
 excessive heat, and lengthened march, that they 
 could scarcely go farther, and consequently 1 was 
 obliged to halt at Horaly. The next day, I ar- 
 rived at Trentschin, situated on the left bank of 
 
IN HUNGARY. 113 
 
 the Waag ; having quartered my troops in an ad- 
 joining village, there being no room in the town 
 itself, which was occupied by the brigade of 
 General Benedek. 
 
 I rode to Trentschin for the purpose of re- 
 porting myself to that General, whom I had the 
 honour of knowing, when in Italy some twelve 
 years ago. I found him at dinner with several 
 officers of distinction, many of whom were old 
 acquaintances of mine, and the General very kindly 
 invited me to join him. I had then to give him 
 an account of all we had done, with which he 
 expressed his entire satisfaction. I shall not easily 
 forget the pleasant hours I passed. That evening, 
 
 I went with Lieutenant Count N s, one of my 
 
 officers, to visit the fine old ruins of Trentschin, 
 which offered an extensive and magnificent view 
 of the country around. We remained there until 
 nearly ten o'clock, and then returned to our quar- 
 ters — an hour's drive from the town. 
 
 Trentschin is one of the largest and finest towns 
 on the banks of the Waag ; I cannot quit it with- 
 out saying a few words respecting it. Extremely 
 neat, it bears the stamp of opulence, to which the 
 mineral springs in its immediate vicinity greatly 
 
114 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 contribute, being much visited during the summer 
 by strangers. 
 
 The population of the Trentschin Comitate are 
 Sclavonians, and it is this district which furnishes 
 that class of travelling tinkers so well known 
 throughout the Austrian empire, and even in the 
 remotest parts of Germany under the name of 
 " Drathbinders" of whom many a sad tale, many 
 a legend is told, replete with romantic incidents. 
 They have a peculiar trade of their own, which no 
 other class thinks of interfering with, and they 
 earn their subsistence chiefly, by making mouse- 
 traps, and other articles for domestic use, as well 
 as by mending pots and earthenware, which they 
 bind together with wire in a most ingenious 
 manner. 
 
 Their costume is extremely becoming their 
 dark and generally handsome eastern features. f It 
 is quite simple, and made of the coarsest materials. 
 Narrow white cloth trousers come down tight at 
 the ankle, and are fastened around the waist by a 
 leather belt ; their upper garment is a cunya, a 
 sort of wide blouse rather short, made of the 
 
 * Signifies county, or shire. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 115 
 
 commonest brown cloth, which is thrown over their 
 right shoulder, and comports well with the wide 
 shirt sleeves underneath. This whole garment 
 being cut in one piece somewhat resembles in form 
 the Spanish poncho, having no seam or hem, ex- 
 cept on the sleeves. These tinkers wear a very 
 broad-brimmed hat, in the sombrero style, except- 
 ing that the crown is lower, and the brim 
 considerably deeper. They wear no shoes but 
 sandals instead. The ribbons, which are crossed 
 several times, meet the trousers under his cunya. 
 He carries a little black box, containing his 
 working implements, and his staff is a good-sized 
 stick, with a hammer, which thus serves two 
 purposes. His long black hair streams round his 
 shoulders and is well graased with lard, which 
 gives it a peculiarly rich gloss. 
 
 It seems astonishing that the population of so 
 luxuriant a part of the country, are compelled to 
 leave their homes, and seek subsistence in other 
 lands. But this sect of Sclavonians, although 
 belonging to the Trentschin Comitat, are not 
 inhabitants of the valley itself, but come from the 
 Carpathian Mountain district, which is thickly 
 populated, and where vegetation, being scanty, 
 
116 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 the productions of the country are quite insufficient 
 to sustain them. The male population therefore, 
 mostly leave their homes, to which they are 
 extremely attached, at the early age of nine or 
 ten, with nothing but a parent's blessing, a piece 
 of bread, and the implements necessary for 
 carrying on their trade, and return, after some 
 years, to their homes, for which they evince a 
 touching attachment, with a sufficient sum of 
 money to buy a small house, with an acre or two 
 of land. They then generally marry, and the 
 father's implements are transferred in due time, to 
 the son who, in turn, pursues a similar career. 
 To see these people wander through the large 
 towns, sometimes in the heat of summer, scarcely 
 able to drag their tired limbs, with no roof but 
 the sky, no bed but the open fields, begging in 
 such touching tones for a penny, one would 
 scarcely suspect that his leather pouch is filled 
 with silver coin. Often, too, in winter, I have 
 seen them sitting in their tattered garments by 
 the roadside, trembling with cold, asking assist- 
 ance with chattering teeth ; and I know more than 
 one instance, when those poor boys were found 
 frozen to death ; yet they willingly suffer every 
 
IN HUNGARY. 117 
 
 kind of privation, until they have saved money 
 enough to live comfortably at home ; and their 
 habits being extremely frugal, they generally 
 succeed in their object, notwithstanding the ap- 
 parently unpromising nature of their trade. 
 
 In travelling through a district inhabited by 
 these people, and having always felt an interest 
 in their condition, I made many enquiries relative 
 to their habits, and found that although some few 
 are never more heard of, the greater part, however, 
 return with a sufficient sum to live the rest of 
 their days in comfort. 
 
 At five o'clock, we left Trentschin for Uhely, 
 where we arrived about twelve, after a tedious 
 march, and obtained excellent quarters. The 
 next morning, just as we were about to proceed 
 on our march, a sergeant announced that some 
 twenty men had been suddenly attacked with all 
 the symptoms of cholera. I immediately repaired 
 to their different quarters, and was horror-struck 
 to find them quite discoloured, and already so dis- 
 figured, that I could scarcely have recognised them. 
 Sad to say, not one out of the twenty recovered, 
 and we set out on our march in very low spirits, 
 having been obliged to leave our dying soldiers 
 behind. 
 
118 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 My next station was Tyrnau, the head-quarters 
 of the reserve of the third corps d'armee, consist- 
 ing of several battalions of Grenadiers and Reserve 
 Artillery. These, with General Herzinger, were 
 under the command of F. M. L. Baron Wohlge- 
 muth, who ordered that my troops should have 
 a day's rest, which was absolutely necessary, for I 
 had eighty-three men on the sick list. 
 
 In the course of the afternoon, Baron Haynau, 
 who had been nominated to the chief command of 
 the army in Hungary, arrived unexpectedly at 
 Tyrnau, and having reviewed the troops left im- 
 mediately. I was not a little astonished to meet 
 an old friend in his Adjutant- General, Lieutenant 
 Colonel Pokomy, with whom I had been quartered 
 in Milan many years before. We were all de- 
 lighted to have had an opportunity of seeing our 
 Commander-in-Chief, whose heroic deeds in Italy 
 had won for him the esteem of the entire Austrian 
 army. F. M. L. Baron Haynau is tall, his fine 
 military bearing, his keen eye, and expressive 
 features, show him at once to be the man for his 
 post, whilst his determined character, energy, and 
 valour, as well as his unflinching ardour, well fit 
 him to grapple with the difficulties of the present 
 
IN HUNGARY. 119 
 
 moment, and his military abilities which he dis- 
 played so gloriously in Italy, could not but instil 
 confidence into those who had the honour of 
 serving under him. 
 
 Towards evening, we joined the officers gar- 
 risoned at Tyrnau at a coffee-house, and once 
 again smoked cigars, determined to enjoy in com- 
 fort the present moment, which it is always ad- 
 visable for a soldier to do if he can, when we were 
 suddenly reminded of a future by a distant can- 
 nonade. We sprang from our seats; half an 
 hour later, the garrison of Tyrnau, with the ex- 
 ception of one battalion of Grenadiers, marched to 
 join the third corps, which, with the Russian 
 Division Panintin, received orders to repel 
 Gorgey, who was advancing with a considerable 
 force, and intended breaking through the line of 
 the Waag, to strike a decisive blow at the very 
 heart of the empire, by marching upon Vienna, 
 with the hope of bringing the civil war to a speedy 
 and successful termination. 
 
 This sudden approach had been accomplished 
 by the following means. The insurgents had 
 succeeded in constructing a bridge across the 
 Waag by Negged and Serekol on the 14th of 
 
120 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 June, and concentrated a considerable force at 
 the latter place, with the intention of crossing to 
 the right bank of the Waag. General Pott, who 
 guarded the Waag from Selly downwards, seeing 
 himself threatened, was obliged to retreat, and 
 rallied his brigade at Zsigard. 
 
 In the meantime, F. M. L. Wohlgemuth had 
 ordered the Brigade Herzinger, and two battalions 
 of Grenadiers, a six-pounder, and half a battery 
 of horse artillery, together with three squadrons of 
 Auersperg Cuirassiers of the brigade Theisinger 
 moved up from Galaatha, to march by as rein- 
 forcement to General Pott. 
 
 These troops appeared at Pered on the 16th, at 
 the precise moment when a superior force of the 
 enemy attacked General Pott; but the well- 
 directed advance of General Herzinger, and two 
 skilful attacks under the command of Major Count 
 Coredenhove, compelled the enemy to retreat, 
 and General Pott, secure now from a flank move- 
 ment of the enemy, succeeded in repelling him 
 towards Serek Alrol, after an obstinate action. 
 
 On the 17th, the enemy had finished the bridge 
 at Negged and received reinforcements. F. M. L. 
 Wohlgemuth then ordered the second half of the 
 
IN HUNGARY. 121 
 
 Brigade Theisinger to reinforce General Herzinger 
 in Pered. But the enemy was still too strong to 
 permit an attack, since our troops were threatened 
 in the flank and rear from Serek Akol. 
 
 On the 19th, the Russian division Panintin ad- 
 vanced to Wartberg, to assist the reserve corps. 
 
 On the 20th, General Pott was attacked in 
 Zsigard by ten battalions cavalry and battery ; but, 
 unable to cope with the enemy, owing to his 
 numerical superiority, the Brigade Pott was com- 
 pelled to retreat by Deaky, and the Brigade Thei- 
 singer by Szelly, whereupon the enemy took pos- 
 session of Pered. F. M. L. Wohlgemuth, unable to 
 give further reinforcement, as it was most impor- 
 tant that the Waag by Freystadtt should be defended 
 to the last, applied therefore to the Imperial Rus- 
 sian division for active assistance ; upon which 
 General Panintin offered to place his whole divi- 
 sion on the line, at the disposal of F. M. L. 
 Wohlgemuth, and advanced the same evening with 
 one Rifle regiment to Hidas-Kurth, and three 
 regiments and three batteries to Taksaney, where- 
 upon the Brigade Theisinger was enabled to ad- 
 vance to A- Szelly. 
 
 On the 21st, at five o'clock in the morning, a 
 
 G 
 
122 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 general advance commenced, and General Herzin- 
 ger, with the brigade Theisinger, advanced, in the 
 first line, and the Russian Briansk Rifle Regiment 
 in the second. The Auersperg Cuirassiers in the 
 left flank towards A-Szelly. The chief column 
 was composed of the main body of the Russian 
 division consisting of eight battalions, two batteries 
 with a reserve corps of four battalions and one 
 battery. To the right, one division of Avellart 
 Lancers; to the left, the Emperor Ferdinand Cui- 
 rassiers ; and, towards Deaki, on the extreme left 
 wing, stood the brigade Perin. 
 
 Thus the Russian division formed the centre, 
 and A-Szelly was then evacuated by the enemy, 
 who not accepting battle, retired to Kiraly-new 
 and Pered, between which latter place and Deaki, 
 the enemy took up a position. 
 
 The action then commenced in the centre, by 
 which the enemy was thrown back into the village, 
 whilst the twenty-four batteries of artillery placed 
 in the front line with extreme skill, by General 
 Panintin, broke through the left wing of the enemy. 
 The brigade Pott and Perin compelled the right 
 wing to retreat, and a successful charge made by 
 a division of Avellart Lancers and a section of 
 
IN HUNGARY. 123 
 
 Liechtenstein Cheveaux Legers, drove the foe 
 from the little wood by Szelly. Two not less 
 brilliant attacks were made under the command 
 of General Baron Lederer, who was placed on the 
 right wing of General Panintin, assisted by two 
 battalions, and four batteries of the Russian divi- 
 sion. On this occasion, the two batteries under 
 
 the command of Ensign B f of the Russian 
 
 artillery, placed at the disposal of our cavalry, dis- 
 tinguished themselves most signally. 
 
 The enemy then retired to Pered, and General 
 Herzinger, advanced to Kiraly-new, ordered the 
 brigade Theisinger to take it by storm, for which 
 purpose one regiment of infantry and two divi- 
 sions of cuirassiers were detached towards Pered, 
 whilst General Panintin advanced with two bat- 
 talions, and two batteries belonging to the re- 
 serve, to storm Pered. The attack, made with 
 steadiness and precision, dislodged the enemy. 
 But the insurgents had entrenched themselves 
 by the church in Pered, and a bloody conflict 
 ensued which was soon decided by the rapid 
 advance of the brigades Pott and Perin, where- 
 upon the enemy was compelled to retreat to- 
 wards Zsigard, and we captured four batteries. 
 
 g2 
 
124 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 The insurgents, thrown back, turned with 
 great force towards the brigade Theisinger, 
 which was then obliged to retire, until General 
 Panintin, informed of the dangerous position of 
 the corps, sent the Russian Rifle regiment, which 
 had previously been assigned to General Herzin- 
 ger, to General Theisinger, who, thus reinforced, 
 was enabled to take Kiraly-new, after a short 
 resistance, and the enemy retired to Sereg-Akol. 
 After the capture of Pered, the insurgents fell 
 back upon Zsigard, where they again took up a 
 position ; but attacked by the brigades Pott and 
 Perin, and threatened in the rear and flank by 
 the Russian troops, under Panintin, they were 
 compelled to retreat towards Negged. Night 
 having set in, the enemy took advantage of it, and 
 effected his passage across the Waag. 
 
 On the 22nd, no enemy stood between the 
 Waag and the arm of the Danube at Neuhausler. 
 
 IfGorgey intended breaking through the line 
 of the Waag, because F. Z. M. Baron Haynau 
 had ordered a part of the army from the left bank 
 of the Danube to cross to the right, the forces 
 which he opposed to the Austro- Russian troops 
 that had remained behind, were unable to cope 
 
IN HUNGARY. 125 
 
 with our numerical superiority ; nor could their 
 valour or perseverance be compared to that so 
 gloriously evinced by the Imperial allied armies 
 on those two days. 
 
 But if, on the other hand, the insurgents merely 
 intended this attack to cover their project of 
 bringing the main body of the troops to the right 
 bank of the Danube, they might have accom- 
 plished their object with comparatively insignifi- 
 cant loss by employing a force of inferior strength. 
 Be this as it may, it was universally admitted 
 that the dispositions of the Generals Wohlgemuth 
 and Panintin were made with sagacity, and evinced 
 great ability, whilst their orders were executed 
 with the utmost valour, devotion, and calm pre- 
 cision by the troops engaged. Gorgey had thus 
 received an undeniable proof of the spirit which 
 animated the Austrian troops under such eminent 
 leaders ; as well as that Russian aid, which was 
 still considered a fiction by many, had become a 
 fact. 
 
 The battle was over, and I was on the point of 
 seeking some repose after my fatigues, when a 
 corporal interrupted me by the announcement, 
 that my immediate attendance was requested in 
 
126 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 the General's office. Arrived there, I received an 
 order to start with my division at four o'clock in 
 the morning, for Presburg by railroad, and make 
 the necessary arrangements at once, that the proper 
 number of waggons might be in readiness at 
 that hour. 
 
 As this railroad is worked by horses, its speed 
 is not the most rapid ; notwithstanding which we 
 were only too glad to be forwarded thus slowly, 
 in preference to marching under the influence of 
 a scorching Hungarian sun. We reached Pres- 
 burg, the head-quarters of the operating army, by 
 ten o'clock, and were quartered in the town, with- 
 out having been inspected. The lively and gay 
 aspect of the place made a most pleasing impression 
 on us, and we were astonished to find the pro- 
 menades crowded, a great show of rank and beauty 
 in the theatre, and the hotels filled with stran- 
 gers. In fact, we considered Presburg the faux- 
 burg of Vienna, and the focus of pleasure ; for, 
 with the exception of the many persons in uniform 
 hurrying through the streets, there was nothing 
 to remind any one of his proximity to the seat 
 of war. We regretted that our stay was of such 
 short duration, being obliged to leave the next 
 
IN HUNGARY. 127 
 
 morning to continue our march to Croatish Kim- 
 ling, a village behind Wieseldorf, close to the 
 little arm of the Danube where my regiment was 
 encamped. 
 
 The heat on the 21st of June was so excessive, 
 that I was glad to reach Altendorf, my first station, 
 the head-quarters of the first corps d'armee so 
 early as seven o'clock. I drew up my troops in 
 the square, to be inspected by Count Schlick, 
 General of the Cavalry and Commandant of the 
 1st corps d'armee, with whom I had the honour 
 of being personally acquainted. He appeared 
 almost immediately, and was greeted with an en- 
 thusiastic vivat by my troops, who had been under 
 his command in Gallicia, and idolized him. He 
 had succeeded F. M. L. Count Castiglioni as our 
 Commander-in-Chief in Cracow, previously to his 
 obtaining the appointment in Hungary, and had 
 won the hearts of the troops under his command 
 by his general and almost parental kindness 
 towards them. 
 
 Accomplished as a gentleman, a chivalrous 
 soldier, a generous enemy, and a warm friend, 
 we officers adored him, and were delighted to 
 
128 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 find that our regiment would now serve again 
 under him. 
 
 Pleased with the warm reception, and touched 
 
 by the loud and prolonged cheers, testifying to the 
 
 affection of the soldiers who gazed with pride on 
 
 the fine military figure of their handsome leader, 
 
 he extended his hand tome, and saluted my corps 
 
 with the assurance that he was not less pleased 
 
 than they to be once more their commandant. 
 
 My troops obtained a day's rest, deemed necessary 
 
 after the many fatigues they had undergone, and, 
 
 an hour after, they were comfortably established 
 
 in quarters, and busy in repairing their uniforms 
 
 and accoutrements, which suffered lamentably, 
 
 whilst I proceeded to w T ait upon Count Schlick, 
 
 who had kindly invited me to breakfast and dine 
 
 with him. How delightful I thought my bed 
 
 that night, after four weeks' bivouacking ! I left 
 
 Altenburg the next day for Croatish Kimling, 
 
 and had the pleasure of being received with loud 
 
 hurrahs on reaching the plain where my regimen f 
 
 had encamped. 
 
 I shall never forget the joy I experienced on 
 my arrival at the camp, where all my fellow officers, 
 who, having long since given me up for lost, 
 
IN HUNGARY. 129 
 
 pressed round me with congratulations. How 
 much we had to relate mutually ; but then there 
 came a sad moment, too, for many a friend whom 
 I asked for, was no more ; this unhappy civil war 
 having already deprived us of several cheerful 
 companions and excellent soldiers. 
 
 Our regiment received orders to remain 
 encamped at Croatish Kimling, until the concen- 
 tration of the main army under the immediate 
 command of the Fieldzeug Meister Baron Haynau 
 had been accomplished. The soldiers, therefore, 
 built huts of clay for our abode ; those of my 
 company, however, made it a point of honour, 
 that I should have one of the best, and I was 
 not a little surprised at the skill and ex- 
 pedition w r hich they evinced on the occasion. 
 They dug a square of four yards and four 
 feet in depth, and having made the walls of 
 the clay thus obtained, thatched it with rush, and 
 had also contrived to find room for a window and 
 wooden staircase. 
 
 Whilst they were busily employed in erecting 
 this hut, my carpenter supplied me with a stret- 
 cher, a table, and a bench. I was thus most com- 
 fortably lodged in my house before evening, and 
 
 g 3 
 
130 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 have often since thought that many an Irish 
 peasant would not object to change quarters 
 with me. 
 
 During our stay in the camp, we had to furnish 
 the outpost service, our regiment forming the 
 advanced guard of the brigade, which duty fell 
 to me every second day ; nevertheless, unmolested 
 by the enemy, we enjoyed many a happy hour, 
 and my hut, called the Palais of the camp, was 
 often the point de reunion of my comrades. 
 
 At length the 27th of June arrived, and with 
 it an order to prepare for marching, as his Ma- 
 jesty the Emperor, accompanied by the Prime 
 Minister F. M. L. Prince Schwarzenberg, was 
 expected in the imperial camp every day, having 
 expressed his intention to distribute some medals, 
 after which, operations were to commence on the 
 part of the Austrian Army. 
 
 The unexpected arrival of our youthful and 
 chivalrous Sovereign, worshipped by the army, 
 had an electric effect on all, and was received 
 with an enthusiasm that baffles description. But 
 when it became known that the hostilities were 
 about to be renewed under the auspices of the 
 Emperor, thundering cheers rent the air, pro- 
 
IN HUNGARY. 131 
 
 mising success to our arms and defeat to the 
 enemy. 
 
 Previously to entering upon a narrative of the 
 operations, which may be described as one trium- 
 phal march from Raab to Temeswar, I shall bestow 
 a glance on the position of the insurgent army. 
 When the 20,000 men placed under Dembinski 
 to cover the Carpathian cliffs, retreated towards 
 Pesth, being threatened by the Russians, the 
 principal insurgent forces, which it was estimated 
 amounted to 100,000 men, stood, with the excep- 
 tion of a corps of 12,000, who occupied the Mar- 
 marosch, and 25,000 left for the protection of 
 Transylvania, ready to be employed on the Danube 
 and Theis. This considerable body of troops 
 could be concentrated for any operation without 
 delay, or difficulty. Although the insurgents 
 were certainly far behind the allied armies in 
 point of numbers and capacity, yet they had the 
 advantage of being able to operate in the centre, 
 and in combination against two armies separated 
 by a great distance from each other. 
 
 This advantage was, however, counterbalanced 
 by the want of a good plan, and the absence of 
 the necessary authority on the part of the insur- 
 
132 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 gent chiefs, to carry their design into execution, 
 which, together with the vain delusion that 
 Russia would not interfere by force of arms, and 
 finally, the differences between Kossuth, who 
 wished to make the Polish generals leaders, and 
 Gorgey's army, who, devoted to their general, 
 would not hear of his deposition, all tended to 
 paralyze the power of the insurgents at that 
 time. 
 
 Thus, while the main body of the Russian 
 army on one side, stood already at Cashau, with 
 the advanced guard on the Sajo, and the Austrian 
 army on the other, had concentrated her forces 
 on the right bank of the Danube, advancing 
 rapidly towards Raab and Comorn ; the forces of 
 the insurgent army were still without a plan, and 
 lay extended from the Waag, by Comorn to 
 Temeswar, on a cross line intersecting the 
 Danube and Theis ; 40,000 men under Gorgey, 
 stood on the Waag, and the left bank of the 
 Danube; 20,000 men under Klapka, were in 
 Raab ; 35,000 men, under Guyon and Perezel, 
 round Szegedin and Theresiopel; 50,000 men 
 on the Palaton lake, and by Foldvar, under 
 Aulich; 18,000 men, under Vetter and Gaal, 
 
IN HUNGARY. 133 
 
 around Temeswar and Arad ; 20,000 men, under 
 Dernbinski, between Szolnok, Alberti, and Pesth, 
 formed this line. 
 
 It was evident that the closer th'3 allied armies 
 approached each other by their mutual advance, 
 the more ruinous must the result prove to the 
 cause of the insurgents ; but notwithstanding 
 their imminent danger, they tarried too long in 
 changing their position, from the motives referred 
 to above, and it was not until the eleventh hour, 
 that the insurgents attempted a concentration of 
 their forces, but it was too late, and the operation 
 being carelessly attempted, eventually failed. 
 
 This mistake may be said to have decided 
 the campaign. The insurgents, divided into 
 two parts, were forced across the Theis in 
 divergent directions, and, by the combined ap- 
 proach of the allied armies towards Grosswardein 
 and Temeswar, were dispersed, or compelled to 
 surrender. 
 
 The operations of the allied armies were, 
 therefore, directed to three grand movements. 
 Firstly, the convergent operations by Kuschace 
 and Raab, towards Waitzen and Ofen, from the 
 26th June to 19th July, which brought about the 
 
134 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 dispersion of the insurgent army. Secondly, the 
 operations from the 19th July till the 2nd of 
 August, effected with the view to drive back 
 the separated insurgent divisions across the 
 Theis, where the Russian Commander-in-Chief 
 became the point aVappui of the operations, and 
 having taken a position on the road from Miskoley 
 to Hatwan, and forced the passage by Thissa- 
 Tured and Esegg, compelled Gorgey, stationed 
 in the north, to retreat towards Tokay, which 
 rendered it practicable for the Austrian Army 
 to march on Szegedin. Thirdly, the operations 
 from the 2nd to the 10th August, when both 
 main armies advanced in a concentric line towards 
 Arad, by^Grosswardein, and Temeswar, forcing 
 the insurgent army back to the Marosch valley, 
 where, pressed by General Luders, who advanced 
 from Transylvania, they were compelled to sur- 
 render in different directions. 
 
 The insurgent army consisted of 20 battalions 
 of disciplined troops, 117 battalions of Honveds, 
 16 cavalry regiments, and numerous legions of 
 foreign adventurers, German democrats, and 
 Polish revolutionary heroes, about 800 cannons. 
 On the whole, it may be estimated at 190,000 
 
IN HUNGARY. 135 
 
 men of all arms, without including the Land- 
 sturm. 
 
 Their artillery was good, and well supplied 
 in masses ; the Hussars were well paid and fana- 
 ticized, and, although full of energy, and at 
 all times ready to fight, without discipline or per- 
 severance in action. The infantry were in good 
 practice by six months' active service, and spurred 
 on by the conquests gained during that period. 
 
136 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Arrival of the Emperor at the Camp — Distribution of Me- 
 dals — Position of the Allied Armies, and of the Insur- 
 gent Forces — Strength of the Insurgent Army — The 
 Chaplain's blessing — Battle of Kaab— The Austrians 
 occupy the outposts of St. Iwan — A Visit to the Village 
 March towards Gongos — Camp at St. Janos — Battle 
 under the walls of Comorn— Occupation of the wood 
 between Acs and Comorn — Position of the Troops — A 
 Brother's Eevenge — The Soldier's Death-bed — The cho- 
 lera — Battle of Acs — Lieutenant Colonel B wounded 
 
 — The Author has a narrow escape — He takes the com- 
 mand of the Battalion — Another Miraculous Escape — 
 Dreadful fate of a Corporal — Death of Lieutenant — — 
 Bravery of the Austrian Troops — Feelings of the Army 
 towards his Majesty — The Insurgent Leaders' last remedy 
 to revive the ardour of their Troops — Death of an 
 Officer in the Emperor's suite — His Majesty's Aid-de- 
 camp is wounded. 
 
 Let us now return to the Camp. About ten 
 o'clock on the 27th June a distant vivat, heard 
 from the remotest part of the camp, announced 
 
IN HUNGARY. 137 
 
 the arrival of the Emperor; his Majesty, greeted 
 with an enthusiasm and warmth that testified to 
 the deep affection and steadfast loyalty of the 
 troops, passed us in review, and with a smile on 
 his youthful countenance, advanced to distribute 
 the medals which he fastened with his own hand 
 on the breast of the distinguished warriors, 
 addressing a few kind words to each. Deafening 
 cheers announced the completion of this ceremony, 
 and the troops advanced rapidly amidst thundering 
 hurrahs. 
 
 We marched on to Hochstrass, in pursuit of 
 the enemy, who retreated before us as rapidly as 
 we advanced and retired behind the well-fortified 
 entrenchments of Raab. We then encamped, and 
 I with my division, was ordered on outpost service, 
 which this time proved no light duty. The ex- 
 cessive heat of the day and the closeness of the 
 night, only increased the fatigue incurred by the 
 march. Repose was out of the question, for two 
 reasons ; firstly, the immediate vicinity of the 
 enemy, and the million of mosquitoes by which 
 we were continually tormented during the entire 
 campaign. The unfortunate individual who was 
 imprudent enough to throw himself on the ground 
 
138 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 and to fall asleep, without covering his face and 
 hands, was certain to wake up a living martyr, 
 whom none could recognise from the state in 
 which these terrible insects had left him. 
 
 In the mean time, the insurgent leaders 
 Klapka, and Poltenberg, had taken up a position 
 before Raab, and occupied the bastion. To attack 
 the enemy and drive him towards Comorn, was 
 the work of the 28th June, and at an early hour 
 in the morning, all prepared for the unavoidable 
 battle. Encouraged by the presence of the 
 Emperor, the regiments hastened to occupy their 
 different positions, and joy lit up the soldier's eye, 
 for he remembered that his sovereign had come to 
 share the danger with him, and all impatiently 
 awaited the signal for a general advance. 
 
 It came at last, — the gun-fire so anxiously ex- 
 pected, — and when its solemn sound had passed 
 away, there was a dead silence ; and then the 
 horses neighed, the drums were beaten, and all 
 went forward with impetuous speed. But at that 
 instant, when all hearts beat high, with dreams of 
 glory and ambition, forgetting quite, that if the 
 thousands who were now hurrying on, many would 
 not return to speak of truimph or defeat, neither 
 
IN HUNGARY. 139 
 
 of which can soothe the widow's broken heart, 
 the mother's anguish and the orphan's tear ; — the 
 chaplain of our regiment stepped forward, and, 
 after a short address, gave us his blessing. I shall 
 never forget the solemnity of that moment, and 
 the religious feeling which it inspired will remain 
 deeply engraven on my memory. Thousands of 
 warriors knelt down in the midst of the turmoil 
 of war, and made the sign of the cross with un- 
 covered heads and deep devotion. After a short 
 prayer had been murmured in haste, to invoke a 
 blessing from the heavenly Father of all, the 
 entire line rushed forward to the battle-field with 
 an enthusiasm which proved that each felt himself 
 a hero, and would gladly at that moment have 
 staked his life to realize the hopes our chiefs had 
 infused amongst us. The battle shortly became 
 general on all points, and the troops crowded for- 
 ward in double-quick step. The cannon's roar 
 was mingled with the tones of some gay march, 
 when suddenly loud and prolonged cheers reached 
 us from the banks below. Then there came the 
 trampling of horses, — it was our youthful Emperor 
 who passed us, borne swiftly on by his gallant 
 steed to fight in the foremost ranks. The enthu- 
 
140 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 siasm had reached its height, and the thundering 
 hurrah of a devoted army accompanied the 
 chivalrous monarch to the field as he rode past us. 
 
 The first, third, and reserve corps d'armee 
 advanced to the attack on Raab. The Russian 
 army division Panintin and the cavalry division 
 F. M. L. Recthold remained by Leyden and 
 Svenyhaga as reserve. F. M. L. Count Schlick, 
 under whose command I was advanced on the 
 high road towards Abda, in order to force the 
 passage across the Rabnitz, whilst F. M. L. Wohl- 
 gemuth, in command of the reserve corps, with 
 the Brigade Benedek, as avant garde, advanced, 
 simultaneously repelling the enemy on the road 
 by Sesvar on the left bank of the Rabnitz, and 
 moved forward towards Raab. 
 
 By this movement, the enemy standing at the 
 Abda bridge, being threatened in the rear, de- 
 stroyed the bridge by fire, and retired behind 
 the entrenchments. Both corps d'armee now 
 advanced to the attack on the fortifications of 
 Raab. The enemy offered resistance, but the 
 bravery of the troops, together with the effective 
 fire of the artillery, and particularly the well- 
 timed advance of the third corps d'armee and 
 
IN HUNGARY. 141 
 
 the Brigade Schneider threatening the left flank 
 of the enemy, compelled Klapka to abandon Raab, 
 and to retire towards Acs, the more particularly 
 since the assistance promised him by Grorgey was 
 not forthcoming. 
 
 In the meantime, the third corps d'armee and 
 the leading brigade Gerstner, had both crossed the 
 Raab on the 27th, the former by Apras, the latter 
 by Magato, whilst the detached Brigade Schneider, 
 had effected the passage by Bodonghelz the day 
 before. The latter encountered the enemy at 
 Csonok, took the strongly-occupied village by 
 assault, and put the insurgents to flight, on which 
 occasion the third division of Kaiser Uhlamen* 
 attached to the brigade distinguished themselves 
 most signally. In this affair a mortar and an 
 ammunition-waggon were taken from the insur- 
 gents. The main body of this corps, under the 
 command of F. M. L. Mottke, encountered the 
 enemy on the road from Teth to Tengo, and an 
 action was fought, which ended in the retreat of 
 the insurgents. 
 
 Our noble-minded and chivalrous sovereign at 
 the head of the Infantry, led us on to the first 
 * Lancers. 
 
142 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 assault on the suburb of Raab. Need it be said, 
 that, burning with hopes of a glorious future, we 
 followed him with impetuosity, heedless of the 
 cannon -balls that passed us, and Raab was taken 
 in the midst of enthusiastic cheers, so loud, that 
 they drowned the deep thunder-peal, which laid 
 low many a brave soldier. 
 
 The battle of Raab was a hot one on both sides : 
 both armies fought with exasperation and bravery. 
 The Hungarian artillery stood its ground with 
 intrepidity and valour, and only forsook their 
 positions when they found themselves threatened 
 both in flank and rear. In one single bulwark 
 we found twenty-seven horses, and as many dead 
 canonneers, which gave proof of the perseverance 
 and obstinacy evinced by the insurgent artillery 
 on that day. 
 
 The cannon's roar was. silenced, the dead at 
 peace ; and, amidst the cheering tones of the 
 Radetzki march, and the national anthem, with 
 our gallant sovereign at our head, we marched 
 through the streets of Raab. No shot was fired 
 on the conquering troops, but the black and 
 yellow flags, and the flag of truce were exhibited 
 
IN HUNGARY. 143 
 
 from the windows, while laurel-wreaths and 
 garlands of flowers fell at our feet. 
 
 The enemy had withdrawn in the direction of 
 Comorn, and our brigade received orders to pursue 
 him and occupy the outposts of St. Ivan. We 
 therefore only marched through Raab, outside 
 the town ; the cannonade began again, and we 
 hurried without rest till midnight in pursuit of 
 the enemy ; and, after short hot actions with the 
 rear-guard of the insurgents, we reached St. 
 Ivan, and occupied the advanced posts, and that 
 without having taken any nourishment since 
 morning. It was therefore natural that we should 
 feel exhausted, the more so, as we had been only 
 relieved that morning from outpost service, and 
 had undergone eighteen hours* uninterrupted 
 fatigue since. I would gladly have thrown myself 
 on the ground to obtain one hour's sleep, though 
 this was a luxury at the time unattainable. 
 
 Hungry and weary, I was looking forward with 
 no small degree of pleasure, to the arrival of my 
 servant, who w r as in care of my horses, and of the 
 carriage containing my provisions, when I disco- 
 vered, to my great annoyance, that he had re- 
 mained behind Raab, with the baggage when the 
 
144 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 general advance commenced, and could not 
 possibly find me out, or even make his way 
 in, at that hour of the pitchdark night. For 
 once I was inconsolable ; the recollection of 
 my delicious ham and good wine, which would 
 have revived my exhausted spirits, was most 
 tantalizing. Unfortunately, too, the rain came 
 down in torrents, and drenched me to the 
 skin, my only clothing consisting of a light 
 white uniform, which I could not change, as my 
 baggage remained behind. However, " II faut 
 faire bonne mine a mauvais jeu." I therefore 
 sate by the crackling watchfire, and joyfully ac- 
 cepted a piece of black bread offered me by one 
 of my soldiers, but which I must acknowledge, 
 being somewhat dry, and uncommonly stale, I 
 found great difficulty in masticating, notwith- 
 standing my ravenous hunger. 
 
 At dawn of day, I repaired to the village, which 
 was about 200 paces from our camp, in the hope 
 of finding something to satisfy my craving hunger 
 and quench my thirst, but I soon ascertained that 
 my comrades and soldiers, who had probably 
 searched the village long before day-break for the 
 same purpose, had not left anything for us, whose 
 misfortunes they forgot in their own. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 145 
 
 The inhabitants, partly Sclavonians and partly 
 Magyars, had fled from the village, some through 
 fear, others through patriotism, and having care- 
 fully taken all their property with them, most 
 of their houses were deserted, but I was delighted 
 to find in one an empty pot, in which I could 
 make some chocolate for my breakfast, having 
 taken the precaution of carrying a supply of this 
 article in my leather pouch. I therefore boiled it 
 in water, and poor as it was, without either milk 
 or sugar, relished it exceedingly ; nor do I re^ 
 member ever to have enjoyed anything so much as 
 that cup of chocolate, after a twenty hours' fast 
 and a thorough drenching. I never afterwards 
 neglected to provide myself with it, and it often 
 rendered me essential service, furnishing as it con- 
 stantly did my only meal. 
 
 I had scarcely finished my frugal breakfast, 
 when we renewed our march towards Gongos in 
 battle array, and reached St. Janos about two 
 o'clock, without having met with the enemy. The 
 baggage had, in the meantime, overtaken us, and 
 the soldiers were soon busy in taking out the pots 
 to cook their dinner. We had received orders to 
 remain at St, Janos till the next morning. The 
 
 H 
 
146 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 afternoon was therefore devoted to the general 
 repair of uniforms and accoutrements, and needles 
 were as busy that day as swords had been at the 
 battle of Raab. 
 
 I threw myself under a rick of straw, which 
 afforded an agreeable shelter from the scorching 
 sun, and commenced a letter to one who was un- 
 doubtedly in anxiety about me, when some dis- 
 tant cheers excited my curiosity ; and, on inquiry, 
 I found that an estafette had arrived from his 
 Majesty, with the order of Maria Theresa for our 
 beloved commandant, F. M. L. Count Schlick, 
 which had been awarded to him for his distin- 
 guished services at Kaschau. I hurried in all 
 haste to the general's tent to offer my congratula- 
 tions, where I found most of the officers assembled. 
 Even the soldiers participated in the joy occasioned 
 by this mark of distinction conferred on their 
 chief. The different bands struck up God save 
 the Emperor, and the troops cheered their chival- 
 rous leader, who, sharing all trials and hardships 
 with them, was ever received enthusiastically by 
 them whenever he appeared. 
 
 On the 30th of June, we took up our position 
 at Acs and Concurenz, on the right bank of the 
 
IN HUNGARY. 147 
 
 Danube, where we had received orders to await 
 the throwing of abridge over the river atGongos, 
 which would enable us to manoeuvre on either 
 bank. 
 
 On the 1st of July, the Master of Ordnance, 
 Baron Haynau, was informed that the enemy had 
 taken up a strong position between Acs and 
 Comorn, into which fortress the insurgents were 
 endeavouring to throw a re-inforcement of 40,000 
 men from Ofen, reported already to stand before 
 Dotis. 
 
 F. M. L. Baron Haynau determined to frustrate 
 this intended concentration, and, at the same 
 time, to reconnoitre on a large scale. But, as it 
 soon became evident that the force of the approach- 
 ing enemy had been greatly exaggerated, and that 
 the insignificant insurgent division had already 
 reached Comorn in the night, Baron Haynau de- 
 termined to advance and reconnoitre. 
 
 When the Austrian troops appeared before 
 Comorn, Gorgey moved forward fifty batteries, 
 covered by twenty squadrons of Hussars. Baron 
 Haynau had given orders to our troops not to 
 attack the Hungarians, but to confine themselves 
 to artillery-fire (manoeuvres), notwithstanding 
 
 h 2 
 
148 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 which the Lichtenstein chevaux legers y taking 
 advantage of one of the enemy's batteries being 
 imprudently advanced, made a brilliant attack on 
 it, and succeeded in capturing the guns. 
 
 The squadron of Hussars who hastened to the 
 assistance of this battery, were driven back with 
 loss. At the same time, General Baron Reischach, 
 unable to moderate his eagerness and the ardour 
 of his troops, attacked the fortifications of the 
 Landberg, near the head of the bridge, notwith- 
 standing that the strictest orders to the contrary 
 had been issued, and in a short time conquered 
 three bastions, took three cannons and a mortar, 
 besides making sixty prisoners. Such was the 
 spirit which animated the troops. But the en- 
 trenchments had to be evacuated with the loss of 
 fifteen officers and 100 men, dead and wounded, 
 the army having, whilst this isolated action took 
 place in the left wing, received orders to occupy 
 the positions assigned for the night. 
 
 F. M. L. Baron Haynau, having accomplished 
 his object of ascertaining the strength of the 
 enemy, ordered the different corps to be placed as 
 follows : — 
 
 The first corps was to march to Acs, and to 
 
IN HUNGARY. 149 
 
 occupy the wood between that place and Co- 
 morn. 
 
 General Wohlgemuth, to Nystseba. 
 
 The Brigade Benedek, to O-Szony. 
 
 The Reserve Cavalry, on the right flank of 
 Wohlgemuth. 
 
 The Cavalry Brigade, Prince Lichtenstein, to 
 Huskaly. 
 
 The division Panintin, to Szem. 
 
 Head- quarters, to Bana. 
 
 The third corps, to Igmand. 
 
 The different corps had nearly accomplished 
 these movements, when Gorgey, exasperated at 
 the bold attacks of the Austrian troops, and having 
 ascertained that the weak corps of General Schlick 
 alone stood opposite to him, made a sudden sortie 
 from the fortress of Comorn, with twelve battalions, 
 twelve batteries, and forty squadrons of Hussars 
 and attacked us. 
 
 Count Schlick, at once aware of the threatening 
 danger, requested a brigade and two batteries of 
 General Panintin, but the Russian General hasten- 
 ed to the assistance of the first corps with his entire 
 division, without having waited for the sanction 
 of Baron Havnau, his head- quarters being too far 
 
150 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 away. Covered by insignificant heights, General 
 Panintin approached the enemy within cannon- 
 shot. Having placed himself on the hill in the 
 enemy's flank, and on a line with the front of the 
 first corps, he opened a hot flank-fire with two 
 batteries on the insurgent artillery, and on the 
 column of hussars which Count Schlick had made 
 arrangements to attack at that very moment. The 
 enemy's loss in men and horses, occasioned by the 
 well-directed fire of the Russian artillery, was so 
 great that he was compelled to retire into the 
 town. An attempt on the part of the Hussars to 
 make a circuitous movement was baffled by the 
 bold and well executed attacks of General Simb- 
 schen. 
 
 This sanguinary battle commenced at seven in 
 the morning, and continued without intermission 
 till eight o'clock in the evening. We had unfor- 
 tunately sustained a considerable loss in officers 
 and men by the cavalry attacks and infantry 
 charges, besides the many brave comrades, dear 
 friends, and excellent soldiers which the assault 
 on the entrenchments of Comorn cost us. 
 
 The day at Acs was, therefore, as sad as it was 
 nteresting to the soldier, for each wanted to be 
 
IN HUNGARY. 151 
 
 the first to shed his blood, each was jealous of 
 contributing his share of the laurels to be won ; 
 and such was the exasperation with which we 
 fought, that little quarter was shewn on either 
 side. 
 
 It was a painful moment when the order came 
 to abandon the bulwarks which we had conquered 
 with our heart's blood, and to re-occupy our 
 former position. We obeyed as it became the 
 well-disciplined soldier, but the retreating line 
 was covered with our dead. Our brigade formed 
 again the avant garde, and we therefore occupied 
 the outposts the same evening, which were a 
 hundred paces nearer to the fortress. 
 
 The wood at Acs is pretty extensive, and we 
 soon cut down a sufficient quantity of trees to 
 build huts, and to keep up good watch-fires. As we 
 gate round them, all the scenes I had witnessed 
 that day recurred to me, such carnage, such 
 loss of human life, and such sufferings! There, 
 a soldier who had lost his leg, asked to be shot, 
 so as to be put out of his misery ; there again, a 
 soldier and a Honved were fighting hand to hand 
 with such exasperation, that neither party would 
 take or give quarter. During this scene, I looked 
 
152 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 on in breathless suspense ; at last, the brave Bo- 
 hemian, cut to pieces, expired with the words 
 " God save the Emperor ! " on his lips. The 
 Honved, bleeding already from several wounds, 
 had scarcely time to turn away from his antago- 
 nist, w T hen he was assailed by a fresh enemy. 
 Now it became indeed a desperate struggle for 
 life and death between the two. The blows of 
 the Imperialist were well dealt, and skilfully 
 parried by the Hungarian, who had succeeded in 
 wounding his adversary in the head, but the 
 uncertain thrusts he already made proved that his 
 strength was impaired, and his blows lost their 
 vigour. With livid lips, and dilated eyes, he was 
 preparing to make a desperate thrust at the sol- 
 dier, who, with a last effort, felled his bayonet, 
 and ran the Honved through the body ; the latter 
 fell to the ground without a groan. But the 
 soldier's strength now deserted him, his knees 
 tottered ; I saw him lean over the dead comrade 
 beside whom he had fought, and brush away a 
 tear, and then he sank down upon him, never to 
 rise again. He died on his brother's corpse, and 
 we had them buried in one grave. 
 
 It was a lamentable sight to see the dead around 
 
IN HUNGARY. 153 
 
 us, with their ghastly features, and blood-stained 
 uniforms, and melancholy to hear the groans and 
 heart-rending sighs of the wounded ; the prayers 
 of some, the curses of others, were alike painful 
 to listen to. 
 
 That night, as I was sitting by the watch-fire, 
 a sergeant came to say that a wounded soldier 
 asked to see me. I hastened to him. It was a 
 young recruit, who had but lately joined. He 
 lay on his straw bed ; the surgeon stood beside 
 him, having just extracted a ball from the wounded 
 man's body. A faint smile lighted up his features 
 when he saw me, and, drawing a plain ring from 
 his finger, he begged me to send it home to his 
 bride elect ; but the tide of life was ebbing fast, 
 and, pointing to a soldier, who he said could give 
 me the direction, he looked at me beseechingly, 
 and stammering " Thank you, Pan JTetman,"* fell 
 back a corpse. Him, too, we buried that dark 
 dismal night ; and, fulfilling his wish, I sent the 
 ring, to which his comrade added a lock of hair. 
 It was clotted with his blood, and had been cut 
 at his desire for the poor girl he was never again 
 
 * Signifies, Monsieur le Capitain. 
 
 H 3 
 
154 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 to see. Thus romance exists often where we should 
 least expect to meet with it. 
 
 Yes, thus it is in war. To-day it is one, to- 
 morrow, another, who will be missing from the 
 gay mess- table. Many amongst us too, had had hair- 
 breadth escapes during the action at Comorn. Yet 
 we remembered not the dangers passed, nor thought 
 of those that were to follow. We had won the 
 day, and that was a sufficient reason why unre- 
 strained gaiety should be the order of the hour. 
 Fatigue, perils, and privations were alike forgotten. 
 The soldiers played and sang, as if they had re- 
 turned from a feast, and not a battle. Yet we 
 could not be said to have forgotten those whom 
 we had left on a bloody field. 
 
 The next day, we had bright sunny weather, 
 and, ere the third of June was passed, our camp 
 resembled a little town, so many huts of wood, 
 clay, and rushes had been built, that one might 
 have fancied oneself rather in the midst of a gay 
 camp in time of peace, than engaged in actual 
 warfare, if the lighted lunt at the cannon's mouth, 
 and the constant patrol, had not reminded one of 
 the serious importance of the hour. Our gaiety 
 was, however, fated to be interrupted again by 
 
IN HUNGARY. 155 
 
 the cholera, which broke out with fearful 
 violence, and in less than three days, we had lost 
 four officers, and nearly eighty men. With the 
 exception of insignificant skirmishes, scarcely 
 worth recording, our days passed in peace, and 
 the inactivity of our camp and life became almost 
 intolerable. 
 
 On the 10th of July, I rode with Lieutenant- 
 Colonel B r to the farthest line, and we 
 
 could see quite plainly the manoeuvring of several 
 Honved battalions, and how the enemy worked 
 without intermission at the entrenchments of 
 Comoro, which certainly made us suspect that the 
 insurgents harboured some secret plan, or intended 
 to venture on a general sortie. Our surmises 
 proved correct. The enemy came down upon us 
 with his entire force the next day, and it was in 
 this forest that one of the most sanguinary battles 
 of the Hungarian campaign was fought. 
 
 The wood of Acs may be called the pivot of an 
 important position, wherefore both armies wished 
 to hold it, and hence the desperate struggle that 
 ensued, in which no quarter was either asked or 
 given. 
 
 It was a sickening sight to see the wounded 
 
156 
 
 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 carried by in such numbers that it soon became 
 a column, some actually dying in the arms of those 
 who bore them. Accordingly, as this column of 
 the disabled increased, so the troops advanced, 
 each regiment expecting to meet certain death, 
 notwithstanding which, they yet went forward 
 with impetuous speed. 
 
 At last, came our turn ; Palombini, en avant / 
 resounded through the wood, and we went forward 
 with a cheer. Six times were we repulsed, and 
 six times we advanced with undiminished zeal. 
 With giant-like strength we charged, and charged 
 again, heedless of the murderous fire of the insur- 
 gents which thinned our ranks. During the heat 
 of the battle, Lieutenant- Colonel B , com- 
 manding the battalion, stopped to give me some 
 order. We stood side by side ; but, ere he had 
 time to finish his sentence, a ball struck him on 
 the head, and he fell senseless from his horse. 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel B being dangerously 
 
 wounded, I, as senior captain, was ordered to take 
 the command of the battalion, which important 
 charge I retained during the remainder of the 
 campaign. I had scarcely placed myself at the 
 head of the battalion, when a ball passed through 
 
IN HUNGARY. 157 
 
 my tschacko, a trophy which I have preserved in 
 commemoration of my own very narrow escape 
 on that day. Tremendous was the exasperation 
 with which this wood was attacked and defended; 
 the carnage was terrible. The wood actually re- 
 sembled a charnel-house, corpse was heaped on 
 corpse, friend and foe lay side by side in the sleep 
 of death, and the trees suffered almost as much as 
 the men who fought under their shade, from the 
 havoc caused by the storm of shot and shell. I 
 shall never forget the scenes I witnessed on that 
 day. Among the earliest, was the death of my 
 corporal within a few yards of me. A grenade 
 struck him on the chest, and exploded, as I may 
 say, in his body ; the next instant, nothing was 
 left save the hands and feet of the unfortunate 
 soldier, whose body had been shattered into a 
 thousand fragments ! 
 
 "PoorM !" cried the lieutenant of my 
 
 company, who had witnessed this dreadful occur- 
 rence, and raising his sword, he exclaimed, " On 
 to the assault, my brave soldiers," Czeski za umore ! 
 (Bohemians, follow me,) and, at that moment, he 
 fell to the ground ; his tschacko, torn into atoms, 
 was struck high into the air ; a cannon-ball had 
 
158 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 carried away his head, and he lay a mangled corpse 
 beside two privates struck by the same ball. 
 
 Poor Ochsenbauer ! peace be to his ashes ! He 
 was an excellent officer, a warm friend, and was 
 universally regretted. Methinks I see him now, 
 with his open brow, and his eyes sparkling, as 
 he cheered the soldiers on to the assault, little 
 thinking that he was about to speak his last words. 
 But we won the bloody day, and remained masters 
 of the wood, although it cost our regiment alone 
 five officers and 120 privates. Poor Ochsenbauer 
 had been moved aside, and when that bloody 
 battle was over, wrapping him in his military 
 cloak, we laid him in the grave we had dug for 
 his mangled remains, amidst the tears of those 
 who loved him best. 
 
 Three days afterwards, we had an outpost 
 skirmish on the same spot, and there, where poor 
 Ochsenbauer fell, we found a small portion of his 
 skull which was immediately recognised by us all, 
 his hair having been particularly fair. We sent 
 it to his mother, who was so proud, and so fond 
 of her son, and undoubtedly appreciated this sad 
 memorial. 
 
 It cannot be denied that the Hungarians fought 
 
IN HUNGARY. 159 
 
 with extraordinary valour and unconquerable per- 
 severance. At the same time, nothing could equal 
 the bravery and contempt of death evinced by 
 the Austrian army, which the presence of the 
 Emperor heightened to enthusiasm, and the more 
 so, since His Majesty rode forward during the 
 hottest fire, and could not be induced to retire, 
 although his retinue used their utmost exertions 
 to persuade him not to expose his precious life. 
 But he glanced round on his devoted army, bear- 
 ing incredible hardships, as one after the other of 
 those around him fell to rise no more, and, heed- 
 less of his own safety, spurred his steed on again, 
 to be the foremost in the place of danger. 
 
 The troops, inspired and excited by the chivalry 
 and lofty mind of their gallant sovereign, fought 
 with all the ardour of their souls, and each was 
 ready to sacrifice his life, provided the battle, 
 graced by the presence of the sovereign, upon 
 whose young brow was placed the crown of Aus- 
 tria, were won. Well might the Prince glance round 
 with pride on the warriors who surrounded him, 
 for in the hour of trial, they proved the firmest 
 bulwark of his throne ! 
 
 Under such auspices, every soldier became a 
 
160 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 hero — and therefore the insurgents were unable 
 to make us waver, and all the exertions of Gorgey 
 and Klapka to win the battle proved abortive, 
 although the former ordered batteries to be placed 
 behind the troops of the line, and threatened to 
 fire upon them with cartridges if they re- 
 treated. 
 
 However much this assertion may be denied, 
 it is still a fact, my authority being one of the 
 Hungarian officers engaged in that very action , 
 who heard the order given. He was set at liberty 
 after the Capitulation of Comorn, and I met him 
 in Keszthely, where he told me this among other 
 things 
 
 Our valiant Emperor was so fearless of his own 
 person on this occasion, that an orderly in the 
 suite of his Majesty was shot, and one of his 
 aid-de-camps wounded. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 161 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Object of Gorgey as respects the battle fought on the 1 1th — 
 Klapka in command of the fortress of Comorn — March 
 to Pesth — Dreadful accident to a soldier — The Author 
 falls from his horse — Arrival at Puszta Torvort — March 
 to Bia — Entry into Pesth — Devastation of Pesth and 
 Ofen — Heroic defence of Ofen — Bombardment of the 
 fortress — Deaths of General Hentz'i and Captain Schroder 
 — Colonel Alnock takes the command — The fall of Ofen 
 — Fearful barbarities committed by the insurgent troops 
 — Colonel Alnock — Massacre of four hundred men and 
 twenty officers by the insurgents on their entry into Ofen 
 — The camp at Kakos — Hardships endured by the troops 
 — Destruction of the wells — Fata morgana — Operations 
 of the Austrian army — The enemy's retreat to Szegedin, 
 which is taken by our troops — The enemy's retreat to 
 Szoreg, which is taken by assault — March to Nagy St. 
 Miklos. 
 
 As it had not been the intention of F. Z. M, 
 Baron Haynau to fight a second battle under the 
 walls of Comorn, since the insurgents could do us 
 
162 
 
 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 considerable injury with their heavy batteries 
 without our being able to obtain any advantage 
 over them, it is necessary to state the object 
 Grorgey had in view in challenging us to the battle 
 fought on the 11th. 
 
 Gorgey having arrived at a certainty that on 
 the 2nd of July he should not be able to carry 
 into effect his intention of breaking through the 
 allied troops stationed on the right bank of the 
 Danube, quickly altered his plan of operations, 
 and purposed to effect a union with Dembinski's 
 corps by a rapid march on the left bank of the 
 Danube towards Waitzen. Anxious to conceal 
 his actual plan from the Austrian army, the insur- 
 gent general attempted a sortie from the en- 
 trenched camp at the head of the bridge of the 
 Danube, and hoped to succeed, being aware that 
 a part of our army, the third corps, had moved 
 towards Ofen. 
 
 At noon, the enemy advanced from the fortress 
 in considerable columns, and occupying the wood 
 around Heckaly with twenty battalions, made a 
 violent attack on the first and reserve corps, 
 favoured by fog and rain. The brigades Branchi 
 and Scortori of the first corps, assisted by the 
 
IN HUNGARY. 163 
 
 brigade Keischach and a cavalry attack made 
 under the guidance of F. M. L. Prince Lichten- 
 stein, resisted the enemy, whose numbers were far 
 superior to them. The reserve corps, pressed by 
 the main force of the enemy, was compelled to 
 withdraw towards Czem. Whereupon, F. M. Z. 
 Haynau ordered the Russian division, stationed 
 at Nagy Igmand, to march to Pust Czem, and 
 relieve the right wing of the reserve corps. 
 
 General Panintin reached the field of battle at 
 a moment replete with difficulties for the reserve, 
 corps. The insurgents having advanced boldly pre- 
 pared for a decisive attack; but, by Baron Haynau 's 
 order, the Russian division, Panintin, attacked the 
 enemy in the left flank, who soon after retreated 
 at all points, and two hussar regiments, who 
 attempted to outflank the right wing of General 
 Panintin, were easily repelled by the well-directed 
 fire of the seventh and eighth batteries. In the 
 meantime, the cavalry division, Bechthold, had also 
 triumphantly repulsed the insurgent cavalry divi- 
 sions, who were advancing from O-Szony towards 
 Mocsa, and at seven o'clock in the evening, the 
 enemy had withdrawn into their entrenchments. 
 
 Whilst Gorgey deceived the Austrian army by 
 
164 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 his sortie, he had sent his train towards Gran, and 
 followed during the night with his army, taking 
 the road towards Waitzen, in the hope of reaching 
 it before the arrival of the Russian troops ; and, 
 with a view of joining Perezel, who had attempted 
 to advance from Syolnok towards Jass Bereny ; 
 and Alberti Klapka, who had been appointed to 
 the command of the fortress of Comorn, supported 
 Gorgey in this operation. 
 
 After this battle of Comorn, we had a few 
 days' rest, but, alas ! we found with regret, that 
 the cholera carried away those whom the cannon- 
 balls had spared, and we looked forward with 
 delight to quit the fatal wood. At last, the 
 long-wished-for order came, and nothing could 
 equal the spirits of the troops. In the course 
 of the evening previously to our departure, a 
 dreadful accident occurred, which might have 
 ended badly, and naturally tended to damp the 
 gaiety occasioned by the order to march towards 
 P'esth. 
 
 A soldier, a Pole by birth, was handling a 
 bomb, actuated by curiosity to examine its con- 
 tents. He tried first to scrape out the wadding 
 with a knife ; not succeeding in this, he heated 
 
IN HUNGARY. 165 
 
 an iron, and then sat down on the ground, and 
 taking the bomb between his knees, he made 
 an experiment by applying the red hot iron to 
 the bomb, which exploded almost immediately, 
 and shattered his hands and feet, without yet 
 injuring any of the soldiers who stood in his 
 immediate vicinity, which was singular enough. 
 It seems inconceivable that any man who had 
 once become acquainted with the nature of a 
 bomb, should be imprudent enough to trifle 
 with it. 
 
 In order to give the reader an idea of the 
 fury with which the cannonade was carried on 
 by the insurgents during that short battle, I 
 need only state that on the spot where we were 
 encamped, which was about four hundred yards 
 square, our soldiers collected upwards of three 
 hundred cannon-balls. 
 
 We broke up the next morning, as our bri- 
 gade belonged to the first corps d'armee, which, 
 together with the reserve corps, the division 
 Panintin, and the cavalry division, Bechthold, 
 had received orders to hurry by forced marches 
 to Pesth, whilst the second corps d'armee was 
 left behind to observe Comorn. 
 
166 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 The 23rd of July was well nigh proving a 
 fatal day for me, and the fact that I live to 
 record that accident is a miracle. We rested 
 half way to Pesth, and having enjoyed some 
 cold meat, and a little wine, rare luxury in those 
 times, I mounted and galloped onwards to place 
 myself at the head of the battalion, standing in 
 rank and file, when my horse, in full gallop, 
 stumbling over a short wooden peg, fell over with 
 me. The fall seemed so dreadful to those who 
 looked on, that the eldest captain in rank, thinking 
 me killed, was about to take the command, when 
 suddenly man and horse jumped up, and I rode 
 to the head of the battalion, to the utter astonish- 
 ment of all. It would be impossible to describe 
 the surprise of those who witnessed the accident 
 when it was discovered that I had not even broken 
 a bone, nor sustained the slightest injury. I must 
 confess that nothing more painful could have 
 occurred to me, than if I had been prevented from 
 taking an active part in the campaign by a broken 
 leg, or any similar injury, after having escaped so 
 many dangers and so many battles, without even 
 bringing away an ecratignure. 
 
 We left the camp at Acs on the 23rd of July 
 
IN HUNGARY. 167 
 
 at eight o'clock in the morning, and marched to 
 Puszta Czem Torvort, where I awaited the bri- 
 gade, and then entered Puszta, where we remained 
 over night, and I had the honour of being invited 
 to dinner by Prince Lichtenstein, our Division- 
 naire. The next day, we continued our march, 
 which proved one of the most trying I remember 
 since we reached our destination, only at mid- 
 night, and that without having tasted anything 
 since morning. The 25th we halted at Bia, 
 and prepared for our entry into Pesth the fol- 
 lowing day. 
 
 Pesth and Ofen, which we looked on as 
 a kind of Goshen, where a few days' rest 
 would be granted us, in order that we might 
 repose from the heavy fatigues which we had 
 undergone, therefore acted magically on our 
 spirits — when at last the city came in sight, but 
 how often the proverb, IS homme propose, et Dieu 
 dispose, is verified. We remained neither in 
 Pesth nor Ofen, but only marched through those 
 towns, having received orders to encamp on the 
 Rakoezy plain, which is about five miles behind 
 Pesth, and to march on the next morning. 
 
 A singular feeling stole over me as I rode 
 
168 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 through Ofen, and viewed the fearful devastation 
 caused by the heroic defence of General Hentzi. 
 Both towns, as well as the fortress itself, had suf- 
 fered considerably from the bombardment. The 
 splendid imperial palace seems to have been 
 singled out by Gorgey, for it was a heap of ruins, 
 as well as the walls of the fortress. A great 
 many buildings in Pesth are injured, but in par- 
 ticular the German theatre, the casino, and the 
 hotel a-la-Reine d'Angleterre. The suspension- 
 bridge between Pesth and Ofen, which is magni- 
 ficent, may be considered the finest and most 
 splendid on the continent. 
 
 I cannot here refrain from giving a sketch of 
 the heroic defence and memorable fall of Ofen, 
 which, I think, must interest every class of readers. 
 
 When the Austrian army began to retreat on 
 the 21st April, 1849, General Hentzi, a man of 
 unflinching character, as well as a highly-accom- 
 plished and well-informed soldier, received orders 
 to hold Ofen (which scarcely deserves the name 
 of a fortress) until the offensive operations should 
 have commenced, and the advancing army be 
 enabled to relieve the fortress. The garrison 
 consisted of one battalion, Archduke Wilhelm, 
 
IN HUNGARY. 169 
 
 one battalion Accopiere, one battalion Warras- 
 diner borderers, four companies Bannalisten, half 
 a company of pioneers, one squadron of Arch- 
 duke Johann dragoons, and 110 artillerymen — in 
 the whole, about 4,000 men. 
 
 Such was the strength of the fortress, which 
 was provisioned for two months, when a part of 
 the insurgent army, about 30,000 men, under 
 Gorgey, turned towards Ofen to take it by storm. 
 
 When Ofen was besieged, the 3rd battalion of 
 Archduke Wilhelm occupied the lower, and the 
 3rd battalion of the Warasdiner Kreuger border 
 regiment the upper water retrenchment ; five bat- 
 teries were attached to each battalion. The first 
 battalion Accopiere and one battalion Bannalisten 
 occupied the fortress, and 95 batteries were placed 
 on the walls at different points, some of which 
 were mortars, others eighteen and twenty pound- 
 ers. 
 
 The head-quarters of the enemy were on the 
 Schwabenberg. To the right, on the Blocksberg, 
 and behind it, were the detachments of Nagy 
 Sandor and Aulich. Bound Leopoldfield those 
 of the insurgent leaders, Kmety and Knesis, 
 
170 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 besides which troops of Hussars were encamped 
 on the surrounding mountains. 
 
 On the 4th of May, Gorgey called on General 
 Hentzi to surrender the fortress. The valiant 
 General, true to his sovereign and his country, 
 returned the answer that it became a brave 
 warrior to make. From that day, the enemy 
 began to bombard the fortress ; the object Gorgey 
 had in view by the bombardment and frequent 
 sham-attacks which he made on the fortress, was 
 to disturb and tire the garrison. 
 
 The continual bombarding and the already 
 advanced destruction of the fortress prompted 
 General Hentzi to the bombardment of Pesth on 
 the 15th May, which lasted from seven o'clock in 
 the morning until twelve at night, and the result 
 sufficiently proved the power and ability of the 
 artillery. Several invasions were repelled, and 
 sorties made on Alt Ofen. 
 
 On the 16th, the enemy commenced his actual 
 operations, and erected a breach-battery on the 
 side called Spitzberg, by means of which he suc- 
 ceeded in opening a breach from ten to twelve 
 klafters in length, to the right of the Weissen- 
 burger Thor, within three days. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 171 
 
 On the 19th and 20th, sham-attacks were again 
 made by the insurgents, whose object was only to 
 fatigue the troops. General Hentzi superintended 
 the entrenchments within the bastions, and par- 
 ticularly in the vicinity of the breach, in person, 
 day and night. On that occasion, Captain Pollim, 
 of the engineer corps, met a hero's death. 
 
 On the morning of the 21st, Gorgey undertook 
 a decisive attack. The fortress was bombarded 
 during the whole night. Towards four o'clock, 
 the enemy made an attack with his entire force. 
 At the same hour, the fortress was stormed simul- 
 taneously from the Christenstadt, the Weissen- 
 burger Thor, and below the breach. As the upper 
 garrison was too weak to repel the assaulting 
 enemy with advantage, General Hentzi ordered 
 the ninth division, Wilhelm, in occupation of the 
 lower water entrenchments, under the command 
 of Captain Schroder, as a reinforcement to the 
 fortress; but when this division arrived, the enemy 
 had already scaled it in considerable masses, and 
 General Hentzi and Captain Schroder led the 
 division, sword in hand, to the assault, and once 
 more succeeded in repelling the enemy. Alas, 
 it was their last act — both fell ! the General, by 
 
 i 2 
 
172 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 a shot in the abdomen ; Captain Schroder received 
 two shots in the head, and one in the arm. 
 
 The die was cast — the brave leader had breathed 
 his last — and the troops were forced to retreat 
 before the superiority of the enemy. It was only 
 for a moment. Colonel Alnock took the command. 
 He spoke not many words, but, pointing to the 
 corpse of their heroic general, and those who had 
 shared his fate, he led them on again. Many a 
 veteran's eye glistened with a tear as he addressed 
 them. 
 
 The troops, who understood the silent sorrow 
 of their commandant, obeyed, albeit they knew he 
 led them on to certain death. Colonel Alnock 
 then ordered the four remaining companies of 
 Wilhelm infantry, to reinforce the fortress, the 
 cannons having been previously spiked. The 13th 
 and 15th company took their way through the 
 Schloss garten, but they encountered several bat- 
 talions of the enemy who had already penetrated. 
 The heroic Captain Polland, first Lieutenants 
 Shafer, Bellmond, Kieder, and Muller, fell at the 
 head of their detachments. The remaining com- 
 panies had succeeded in entering by the Wasser- 
 thor, and the garrison, which had now melted 
 
IN HUNGARY. 173 
 
 down to a few detachments, retired, during the 
 fiercest fighting in the streets, as far as Ferdinand 
 barracks, where they were surrounded by the 
 enemy, and literally cut to pieces, mercilessly 
 hewn down like so many dogs. 
 
 Whilst this fearful massacre was going on in 
 the streets of the fortress, Colonel Alnock has- 
 tened to the suspension-bridge, and setting fire 
 to the four powder barrels placed there, he blew 
 himself up. Such was the last act of this noble 
 but fearful tragedy ! 
 
 The defence of the fortress cost us ten officers 
 and 160 men ; but, sad and terrible to record, no 
 less than twenty officers, and 400 men, were 
 brutally and barbarously murdered by the rebels 
 after the fortress was taken. What pen can 
 calmly record the tortures of 420 human beings, 
 expiring in the acutest agony ! What heart can 
 remain unmoved, reading the valorous defence of 
 the fortress by the garrison, or picturing to him- 
 self their struggle for life, or death, against such 
 fearful odds. 
 
 I have here portrayed one of the most heroic 
 deeds of the army. The defenders of Ofen deserve 
 the place of honour in the annals of war in 1849, 
 
174 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 and in the latest times. Austria's faithful warriors 
 will look back with pride on the heroic, high- 
 minded men who became martyrs for their country, 
 and fully deserve the veneration of the Emperor, 
 the admiration of the army, and the esteem of the 
 world. 
 
 General Hentzi's tomb, which he shares with 
 fifty-four warriors, is only marked by a cross cut 
 from a tree on the spot where he fell, and orna- 
 mented by the bloody wreath of laurels so bravely 
 won. But it is to be hoped that an everlasting 
 monument will exist in the heart of every true 
 Austrian for generations to come, and therefore it 
 needs no monument of stone. No one can forget 
 General Hentzi, who, great as a hero, was not less 
 esteemed as a Christian. The very blood freezes 
 in my veins, to record the carnage of 420 soldiers, 
 butchered and slaughtered, cruelly and brutally 
 put to death like so many wild beasts by their 
 fellow-creatures. Their heroic exertions in the per- 
 formance of their duty, could no more strike the 
 chord of sympathy in the hearts of their ruthless 
 savage enemies, than their cries of agony rent from 
 them, as they fell under the blows of swords, guns, 
 and pikes, could awaken their pity. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 175 
 
 But these noble Magyars — these martyrs to 
 despotism, fighting for true liberty, spilling their 
 blood to save their country from oppression, who 
 viewed the devastation of the Magyar land with 
 bleeding hearts, whose very souls recoiled from 
 those fearful scenes of savage butchery laid at the 
 door of the Austrian army, but which were never 
 committed — only laughed and cursed the more, 
 scooping out the eyes of some with the ends of 
 pikes and swords, cutting the limbs off others 
 from the quivering bodies. Nor was their thirst 
 for murder quenched until they had waded through 
 the pool of blood, flowing from the reeking and 
 mutilated corpses of 420 martyrs, whose last 
 groans called down the wrath of Heaven on the 
 authors of such misdeeds. 
 
 Let us now return to our camp at Rakos. As 
 a few hours had been given us to rest, we drove 
 to Pesth, determined to make amends for the bad 
 fare which we had latterly been compelled to put 
 up with. We therefore selected the best hotel, and 
 sat down to an excellent dinner, at which the 
 champagne was not forgotten. Any one acquainted 
 with the hardships of a campaign life, will under- 
 stand how much we enjoyed the rare treat of srood 
 
176 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 fare. In the afternoon, we made some necessary 
 purchases of provisions, and then returned to the 
 camp to seek a few hours' repose, previously to 
 setting out on our march towards the south. The 
 exertions and fatigue consequent on our forced 
 marches to Pesth were inconceivable, but cannot 
 be compared to the sufferings we endured when 
 proceeding from Pesth to the south of the Bannat, 
 through the sandy desert of that flat country, 
 during a scorching heat, notwithstanding which, 
 we left an immense tract of territory behind us, in 
 an incredibly short space of time. 
 
 The hardships which fell to our lot at that 
 period formed not the least parts of the feats per- 
 formed by our army, and proved the excellent 
 condition of the troops, as well as the good spirit 
 which animated them. On advancing into the 
 country, we found that the insurgents had, in 
 their retreat, destroyed the water, which they ac- 
 complished in some instances, by filling up the 
 wells ; in others, by rendering the water unpalate- 
 able. 
 
 It is scarcely possible to give a true picture of 
 the sufferings of the army during that march. 
 Scorched by the sun, we met with no tree that 
 
IN HUNGARY. 177 
 
 could afford us a moment's shelter, and fatigued 
 by the march and heat through the sandy roads, 
 we were naturally parched with thirst, and felt 
 the want of water so keenly, that we would have 
 given much to procure only a few drops. It 
 seemed to us as if our insides were on fire ! our 
 limbs almost refused to bear us ; our tongues, dry 
 and heavy, clung to the palate. In short, the im- 
 possibility of allaying our thirst, became most 
 agonizing, and yet the troops bore this severe test 
 heroically. But the heat increasing, rather than 
 diminishing, soon attained 114 degrees, so that 
 the very ground seemed to burn under our feet, 
 and many soldiers who had braved death in a 
 thousand ways, and escaped the cannon-balls, died 
 in lingering torture. 
 
 What pen can describe the agony and misery 
 we endured during that march, and which brought 
 us almost to desperation ! Such sufferings could 
 only be sustained by the devotion to our sove- 
 reign, and the love we bore our country, for the 
 welfare of which we were ready to sacrifice our 
 lives. 
 
 In marching through the south of Hungary, we 
 had many opportunities of seeing the fata morgana, 
 
 i3 
 
178 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 which is only visible in large tracts of flat country, 
 and therefore a rare phenomenon. On one occa- 
 sion, we could see quite distinctly an enemy's 
 camp on a gigantic scale, and discern even the 
 coming and going of horsemen, soldiers exercising, 
 and every movement they made in the pursuit of 
 their different vocations. I must own that it was 
 a singular and grand sight, for the objects were 
 as distinct as if it had been a reality. We saw 
 the fata morgana in the shape of water, and the 
 reflection of houses and trees, &c. &c, almost 
 every day, but never a complete military camp, 
 except the time above mentioned. 
 
 Let us now return to head- quarters. R M. 
 Baron Haynau, having remained only a short time 
 in Pesth, actively continued operations, which 
 he now directed towards the south, with great in- 
 trepidity, supported by the main force of the 
 Russian army, covered by it on the rear and the 
 left flank, and being besides aware that Gorgey's 
 corps was kept in check by the position of Prince 
 
 P , he made the following dispositions : — 
 
 F. M. Baron Haynau, at the head of the Imperial 
 Russian division, Panintin, and the cavalry divi- 
 sions Bichthold, advanced direct across Fehgyhazy 
 
IN HUNGARY. 179 
 
 to Szegeclin. The first corps, as column of the 
 left flank, advanced by Szegled towards Czibak- 
 haga, for the purpose of crossing the Theiss, at 
 that point, to maintain the connection with the 
 main army, and gain the right bank of the Maros, 
 whilst the third corps d'armee covered the right 
 flank of the main army, and was directed to Alt 
 Kanisa, across Therisianopel. 
 
 By this rapid advance, F. M. Baron Haynau 
 obtained a threefold advantage : firstly, the already 
 united insurgent corps had not time to form a new 
 plan of operations, or to make any preparations 
 for a strong resistance ; secondly, he came to the 
 assistance of the army in the south, as well as 
 to the hard-pressed fortress Temiswar, at the 
 moment of the greatest danger, and as the Russian 
 General had done in the north, thus transposed the 
 war in the south, across the Theiss, by which the 
 insurgents were therefore pressed into a narrowing 
 circle. 
 
 On the 8th of July, the head -quarters of Baron 
 Haynau were in Felegyhaza, the third corps 
 d'armee stood in Melykut, and the first in Czegled. 
 F. M. Baron Haynau remained in Felegyhaza till 
 the 1st of August, with the main body of the army, 
 
180 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 in order to grant a day's rest to the three corps 
 who had reached Therisianopel on the 30th of 
 July, and be in aline with them. In the meantime 
 the enemy had retired to Szegedin. 
 
 On the 2nd August, Baron Haynau commanded 
 the Brigade Simbschen, which had occupied the 
 outposts before Puzta Szatimas, to reconnoitre as 
 far as the enemy's entrenchments. General Baron 
 Simbschen, finding that the entrenchments and 
 Alt Szegedin on the right bank of the Theiss, had 
 been cleared of the enemy, occupied the town 
 until the Brigade Tablonowsky arrived in the 
 course of the afternoon, and occupied the most 
 important points. A considerable quantity of 
 powder and ammunition, as well as great provision 
 of corn, were found in the castle. 
 
 Thus the important point Szegedin fell into 
 the hands of Baron Haynau, without a stroke, and 
 after Guyon's retreat, the communication with the 
 army in thesouth was restored. On the third of 
 August, the Brigade Tablonowsky, reinforced by 
 a part of the Brigade Benedek under the skilful 
 guidance of F. M. L. Prince F. Lichtenstein, 
 attacked the rear guard of the enemy, which stood 
 on the left bank of the Theiss. Whilst the 
 
IN HUNGARY. 181 
 
 enemy's batteries were silenced by the well-directed 
 fire of the Austrian artillery, two battalions of 
 the brigade Tablonowsky crossed the Theiss above 
 Szegedin in order to fall on the right flank of the 
 insurgents. The result of the artillery operations, 
 particularly that of the rocket batteries, which set 
 the village by Szegedin, where the enemy offered 
 an obstinate resistance, on fire, was destructive and 
 decisive. 
 
 The enemy, being dislodged from his position on 
 the banks, the Brigade Benedek commenced to 
 ship over, and driving the enemy from hj-Szegedin, 
 threw the bridge across. The insurgents were then 
 pursued from position to position, a cannon was 
 taken, and many prisoners were made. At eight 
 o'clock in the evening the bridge head wasnearly 
 taken possession of, when the enemy made another 
 violent attack. A battalion of the Imperial Rus- 
 sian division was then sent as a reinforcement to 
 hj-Szegedin, the balance of the action restored, 
 and at ten o'clock the bridge head was occupied 
 by our valiant troops. 
 
 At four o'clock at dawn of day, the enemy 
 opened a heavy fire from four batteries, directed 
 against the tete de ponts, to cover his retreat to 
 
182 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 Szoreg, and O-sz-Iwan, where the insurgents 
 having succeeded in uniting under the command 
 of Dembinski, Messaros, Desejoffy, and Guyon, 
 occupied a firm position, with a force of near 
 30,000 men, and 50 batteries, with the view of im- 
 peding the advance of the allied armies. 
 
 On the 5th, towards four o'clock in the morning 
 the Imperial Austrian reserve Corps, the Cavalry 
 division, Bechthold, and the Imperial Russian 
 division, Panin tin, made an attack from the bridge 
 head on the enemy's position, whilst the cavalry 
 advanced to surround the left flank of the insur- 
 gents. The reserve batteries drove towards the 
 enemy's batteries, placed behind a dike. The 
 development of an imposing number of batte- 
 ries, the close advance of the reserve corps, assisted 
 by a brigade of the Russian division, Panintin, 
 decided the battle in a few hours. By sunset, the 
 insurgents were driven from all their I entrench- 
 ments, and the dike Szoreg was taken by assault, 
 and the enemy in full flight. We captured five 
 cannons, and made many prisoners. The allied 
 armies, it must be acknowledged, had fought with 
 signal bravery that day. We now advanced with- 
 out rest by Szambu to Nagy St. Miklos, which 
 we reached on the second day 
 
IN HUNGARY. 183 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 St. Miklos— Kindness of the Inhabitants— Their Aversion 
 to Magyarism — Cruelty of the Hungarians — Destruction 
 of a Village by the Insurgents — Heart-rending Scenes — 
 The Church of St. Miklos— The Sexton's Account— The 
 Casino — The Next Morning — My Host's Liberality — My 
 Embarrassment — My Landlord's Daughter — Perjanos — 
 Szekusit- -Arrival of a Russian Colonel — An Impromptu 
 —Dance — A Dream — Pursuit of the Enemy towards 
 Temeswar — Defence of that place — Hardships endured 
 by the Garrison — F. M. L. Baron Kinkowina — The 
 Relief of Temeswar — A Deathblow to the Insurgents 
 — Kossuth resigns. 
 
 St. Miklos is a very neat little town on the 
 banks of the Maros, and the inhabitants, mostly 
 Rascians and Romans, are devoted to the 
 government, and consequently of anti-revolu- 
 tionary principles. They received us in the 
 most kindly manner, and with marked civility ; 
 each citizen offered quarters to officer and pri- 
 
184 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 vate, whom he made it a point of honour to 
 overwhelm with kindness and attention 
 
 I was quartered in the house of the Syndicus, 
 whose extreme politeness quite embarrassed me, 
 but it must be acknowledged, that having been 
 deprived of the comforts, I might almost say 
 necessaries of life, for so long a period, and for 
 months slept under the sky, to which may be 
 added, that with rare exceptions we met with 
 undisguised aversion and ill-will on the part of 
 the population of the towns we passed through, 
 who, deluded and deceived by the Kossuth fac- 
 tion, were tutored to look on us as their oppres- 
 sors, until at last the veil dropped from their eyes, 
 and the real truth was disclosed to them. We 
 were therefore only more keenly alive to the 
 kindness shewn us, and yielded to the seductive " 
 influence exercised over us by the expressions of 
 gratitude which fell from the lips of the simple- 
 hearted and sincere inhabitants, who hailed us as 
 their deliverers. Sweet lips, too, poured forth 
 their thanks, and pictured in glowing, truthful 
 language all they had suffered. Mourning dwelt 
 in their hearts, for many had lost some dear rela- 
 tive, others still trembled for their country. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 185 
 
 The Banat is the most fertile tract of country 
 in the Austrian empire, and celebrated for the 
 excellent breed of cattle, wheat, and wine. The 
 Banat is mostly populated by Romans, Rascians, 
 and Germans, who are thoroughly averse to 
 Magyarism, nor was the late war calculated to 
 alter their feelings in that respect, for the Hun- 
 garians did not spare their country, and have left 
 fearful traces of their invasion, which it will take 
 centuries to obliterate from the memories of the 
 population. Entire villages, particularly those 
 populated by Rascians, were set on fire and 
 burned to the ground. The inhabitants, children, 
 men and women, were mercilessly butchered, and 
 often exposed to the grossest insults, previously to 
 their being put to death. 
 
 I could scarcely have believed (had I not been 
 an eye-witness in some instances) all the atrocities 
 committed by some of the savage hordes, which 
 were to be found in the insurgent army, whose 
 misdeeds were so carefully concealed from the 
 knowledge of Europe, that they have unfortu- 
 nately never been made public. 
 
 It is invariably imprudent, foolish perhaps, to 
 place utter reliance on the statement of a party 
 
186 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 or the untruthful work of some author, whose 
 only merit is a prolific imagination. I should 
 therefore have been inclined to believe, and were 
 it only for charity's sake, that some of the many 
 barbarous deeds recorded of Hungarian invasion 
 were exaggerated, had I read of them merely in 
 a book, but I have marched through the devas- 
 tated villages, where a death-like stillness reigned, 
 the inhabitants having either fallen under the 
 swords of the enemy, or found death in the flames 
 that consumed their dwellings. I have seen these 
 things with my own eyes, and my ears have 
 listened to tales that would fill the breasts of honest 
 men with indignation and make the blood run 
 cold in their veins. 
 
 Never while I live shall I forget the appearance 
 of one village which had been razed to the ground. 
 We marched through without seeing a living soul, 
 and yet it had been once thickly populated. A 
 sickly feeling stole over us as we entered some of 
 the ruins, for we could trace marks of blood where 
 whole families had been massacred. What fearful 
 tales could those walls record, what a dreadful 
 sight was that village now, how painful the contrast 
 of the bright sun as its rays shone on the 
 
IN HUNGARY. 187 
 
 blackened ruins around, and even the birds' cheer- 
 ful note seemed to warble forth a reproach to the 
 deeds of man ! No living being, nothing that 
 could speak of the past, met our horror-stricken 
 eyes — we turned away, and our hearts beat with 
 hatred and indignation for Kossuth the pampered 
 idol of the hour. The following particulars were 
 afterwards given me from unquestionable au- 
 thority. 
 
 It appears, that on the occasion of a detach- 
 ment passing through the village, they had, like 
 us, gazed with horror around them, when suddenly 
 a figure emerged from one of the blackened ruins, 
 which proved to be a man. The effect was start- 
 ing — emaciated, with sunken eyes, and white hair 
 streaming round his hollow features, that 
 ghostly-looking being was indeed a man, the only 
 inhabitant who had escaped the ruthless hands of 
 the Hungarians. He gazed at first wildly round 
 nd then advanced — he would have kissed the 
 skirts of the soldiers' coats with joy — and then 
 clasping his hands, with sudden despair he cried 
 " too late !" and tore his hair, then pointing to the 
 ruins from which he had emerged, he said slowly, 
 " I have buried them, that I may live on their 
 
^^^^^^ 
 
 188 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 grave." He spoke incoherently, but from all he 
 said the officer who related this to me gathered, 
 that the male inhabitants fought to the last, but 
 were overpowered ; the combat was soon over, and 
 then commenced the fearful insults to the women, 
 and the general massacre. 
 
 This unfortunate man's wife and daughter were 
 murdered before his eyes. Driven to desperation* 
 he rushed upon the murderers, and from that mo- 
 ment he remembered nothirg more, except that 
 he was felled to the ground by a blow on the 
 head. When he recovered, the enemy was gone, 
 and beside him lay the corpses of his youthful 
 daughter, only sixteen years old, and his wife. 
 He dug a grave, buried them, and would not 
 quit the spot ; but his eyes sparkled with deep 
 hatred as he told his tale of sorrow. Pointing to 
 a little elevated ground, he gasped forth : " From 
 thence I saw the flames gradually consume my 
 native village, and heard the shrieks and groans 
 of some of the victims who were still alive, but 
 unable to escape, and I could not help them." 
 
 The hot tears dropped on his clenched hands, 
 and then a vacant smile announced that reason 
 often fled. That one night had turned his hair 
 
IN HUNGARY. 189 
 
 to grey. Such scenes cannot be forgotten — such 
 barbarous acts cannot be forgiven. The hatred 
 called up by these deeds of Vandalism was as 
 implacable as it was deep. 
 
 I will now return to St. Miklos. After dinner, 
 we repaired to lionize the town and church. As 
 I had served in a Wallachian regiment in the 
 early part of my military career, I had studied 
 the language, with which I was well acquainted, 
 and consequently became the interpreter on this 
 occasion ; and I was not sorry to have an oppor- 
 tunity of speaking and hearing this musical lan- 
 guage again, after a lapse of so many years. We 
 bent our steps at once to the Greek Church, 
 which belongs to the Wallachians and Rascians. 
 
 The exterior of the building is simple but 
 handsome ; the interior is extremely rich, parti- 
 cularly the high altar, and the paintings, which 
 are richly gilt, and ornamented in the most costly 
 way, after the manner of the Greek Church, The 
 sexton, delighted to find an Imperial officer with 
 whom he could converse in his native language, 
 overwhelmed me with complaints of the dreadful 
 treatment they, too, had received at the hands of 
 the Hungarian column who had passed through. 
 
190 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 They spared nothing ; and finally broke into 
 the house of God, committed the grossest mis- 
 deeds, desecrated the high altar and the pictures. 
 They also tore down a crown which was placed in 
 the church ; and, in fact, there was no scandal, 
 no outrage, however vile, that they did not per- 
 petrate. It is no wonder that such gross miscon- 
 duct only increased the hatred already subsisting 
 between the two races — nothing was sacred in the 
 eyes of these savages, not even the house of God I 
 
 But what could be expected, when we consider 
 that these bravoes were in the pay of those who 
 profaned religion by making it a plea for car- 
 nage and scandal, and enshrouding themselves 
 in the threadbare cloak of hypocrisy, under 
 which lurked blasphemy and perjury, wrought 
 the ruin of their country ? 
 
 I was also informed at St. Miklos, that where 
 the Hungarians passed through, they carried 
 away by force all young men able to bear arms, 
 and distributed them into different regiments; 
 but, with the exception of three, all returned. 
 This system they also tried in other districts; 
 but on all occasions the Bannatians ran away as 
 soon as an opportunity offered — which proves 
 
IN HUNGARY. 191 
 
 that the enthusiasm so falsely reported to exist, 
 was by no means so general as it was believed 
 to be. It was not without an object, however, 
 that these false reports were spread, nor did they 
 fail to bear fruit ; because, in many districts, 
 the population learning that those whom they 
 knew to be most loyal had joined the in- 
 surgent army, naturally began to think that the 
 insurgents must be in the right, and when it 
 was, then, whispered by emissaries of the wily 
 Kossuth that he was fighting for the young Em- 
 peror (this report was circulated by Kossuth 
 before the Emperor Ferdinand abdicated), loyalty 
 was lulled by a deceptive, dangerous, but judi- 
 ciously-applied opiate . 
 
 The poor inhabitants little guessed what a few 
 months would reveal, and still less that of the 
 thousands who filled the ranks of the insurgent 
 army, many hundreds fought only when batteries 
 were placed behind them. 
 
 Even in the purer Magyar districts, there are 
 many parts where the ill-fated;' civil war and its 
 authors are thoroughly condemned, and several 
 families actually applied to Government for per- 
 mission to change their name, because a member 
 
192 
 
 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 had stained it by siding with the insurgents. The 
 Pesth newspapers have brought before the public 
 several instances of this strong condemnation of 
 disloyalty on the part of the Magyar families. 
 
 The town itself was soon lionized, and we then 
 hurried to the casino, where our regimental band 
 was playing, and had collected all the elite of the 
 town. We found a great deal of beauty as- 
 sembled, and, yielding to the seductive influence 
 of the society in which we found ourselves, forgot 
 all but the present moment ; and, when the day 
 was over, regretted deeply that duty compelled us 
 to leave so agreeable a town the next morning. 
 It was, perhaps, more advantageous, after all, 
 that we should not have had an opportunity of 
 becoming better acquainted with the inhabitants, 
 some amongst the fairer sex being singularly 
 beautiful. Handsome, expressive eyes, sweet 
 smiles, and fascinating manners, are not the best 
 incentives to hurry us to the battle-field ; and 
 some of our gay young officers must undoubtedly 
 have carried away wounds less eaaily healed than 
 those inflicted by the insurgents. 
 
 I rose at an early hour the next morning, and 
 found an excellent breakfast prepared for me by 
 
IN HUNGARY. 193 
 
 my host. Having partaken freely of all the good 
 things placed before me, I bade the good people a 
 hasty farewell, and was about to mount my horse 
 when the landlord stopped me, adding that he 
 had a particular request to make, which he begged 
 I would promise not to refuse. A certain huski- 
 ness in his voice, proceeding, undoubtedly, from 
 emotion, touched me to the heart, and I replied 
 that I would certainly not refuse so loyal a patriot 
 anything which it was in my power to grant. 
 I cannot exactly remember what I anticipated the 
 nature of the request would prove, but I have 
 a faint recollection of being prepared to render 
 some important service for all the kindness I had 
 received, when, to my astonishment and consider- 
 able embarrassment, a huge ham and hamper of 
 wine made its appearance. I had suffered too 
 much privation not to appreciate fully the value 
 of this gift, but, nevertheless, I was heartily 
 ashamed of myself. Embarrassment must have 
 been portrayed in every lineament of my features, 
 for I perceived the landlord's very pretty daughter 
 peeping from behind the window-curtain, smiling 
 archly, and displaying her beautiful teeth, she 
 took care to shade her large black eyes with her 
 
 K 
 
194 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 little white hands, nevertheless, I could read in 
 them that she had had something to do with the 
 provisions offered, and was now enjoying my dis- 
 comfiture. 
 
 I returned my sincere thanks to my worthy 
 host, and saluting his fair daughter, gallopped off 
 to the head of my battalion. 
 
 It was about six o'clock in the morning when 
 we left St. Miklos ; our first station was Perjanos ; 
 on reaching it, we found that the enemy was 
 within about fifteen English miles of us. In 
 order to obtain some certitude of his movements, 
 two officers were sent on patrol, who brought us 
 news that the enemy stood by Arad, and our 
 corps d'armee by Vinga. We therefore con- 
 tinued our march as far as Szekusit, where we 
 awaited further commands for which we had ap- 
 plied. In the meantime, we encamped in the 
 village and about it. It fell to my lot to be quar- 
 tered in the village, for which I was not sorry. We 
 found that our advanced guard had overtaken a de- 
 tachment of insurgents, who were unable to proceed, 
 owing to the rapid advance of our army, and made 
 nineteen prisoners, as well as several waggon 
 loads of military stores, of which we immediately 
 
IN HUNGARY. 195 
 
 took possession, and divided the most useful 
 articles amongst our men. In the village itself, 
 we found two magazines containing linen, accou- 
 trements, saddles, leather, and ropes, which the 
 inhabitants gave up to us, as having been left 
 behind by the insurgents in their disordered 
 flight. 
 
 This village is also situated in the Banat, and 
 when the inhabitants discovered that I could speak 
 their native language, they came to me in a body 
 to speak of all they had suffered from Hungarian 
 oppression. There again I listened to tales of 
 woe, heard of the cruelties committed with im- 
 punity by these Magyar heroes. Szekusit has about 
 2,000 inhabitants, and is a very neat cheerful-look- 
 ing village, which can boast of broad streets 
 with elm-trees on either side. On the Sunday, 
 we had an opportunity of admiring the Wal- 
 lachian women in their holiday attire, whose 
 natural charms were not a little enhanced by 
 the picturesque appearance of their semi-oriental 
 dress. They are a flne handsome race, their 
 aquiline nose, black hair and eyes, and, in fact, 
 truly Roman features, proved them to have re- 
 tained the type of their origin. The men are 
 ( k2 
 
196 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 handsome and powerful, the women, with rare 
 exceptions, faultless beauties. 
 
 We had just sat down to our mess in the hotel, 
 when we received an announcement that a Russian 
 colonel with a general Staff-officer, and a suite of 
 100 Cossacks and two squadrons of Hussars, had 
 arrived in quest of the point (Vunion between the 
 corps of Prince Paskiewitch and that of Baron 
 Haynau. I was ordered to receive him, ascertain 
 his wishes, and see that he, as also his suite, were 
 well provided for. The colonel was an elderly 
 gentleman of fine military bearing, and extremely 
 polite, but, as he did not speak French very 
 fluently, our conversation was naturally short. 
 1 was delighted to fine a first-rate linguist in the 
 general staff-officer, as it saved me the torture of 
 making several ineffectual endeavours to wade 
 through a conversation kept up in Russian on one 
 side, and a mixture of Polish and Bohemian on 
 my part. I gave the required information as far 
 as it lay in my power to do, and invited them to 
 join us in the square, where our band, as well as 
 that of the second rifle battalion, would perform 
 in the afternoon. They promised to do so as soon 
 as duty permitted, and accordingly towards even- 
 
"IN HUNGARY. 197 
 
 ing, several of trie officers of the Russian Hussars 
 made their appearance in the camp, which pre- 
 sented a gay scene. All our officers, as well as 
 those of the second rifle battalion, had assembled, 
 and the inhabitants of the place, thoroughly black 
 and yellow, came with their wives and daughters, 
 many of whom were so remarkably beautiful, that 
 they attracted our attention. Our band first 
 played compositions of Bellini, Meyerbeer, and 
 Balfe, to which the fair sex listened with rapture, 
 but when the fascinating waltzes and polkas of 
 Lanner, Strauss, and Labitzky, were struck up 
 with tantalizing spirit by both bands, the effect 
 was electric, The Russian officers beat time, 
 whilst our fair guests smiled, which we accepted 
 as a signal that a dance would be found agreeable 
 by all parties. 
 
 We soon became acquainted, introductions took 
 place, the ground was mechanically cleared of 
 bye-standers who made way, and in a quarter of an 
 hour we whirled round and round, and round 
 again, as if that were to be our last ball. I never 
 spent a pleasanter evening in my life, though I 
 did not, perhaps, enjoy myself as much as many 
 of my companions, for my thoughts had wandered 
 
198 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 far from that gay scene, and I threw myself under 
 an elm-tree. I first gave way to sweet reflections, 
 and then the music became fainter and fainter — I 
 heard it still but it was far away. I thought 
 myself transported into some distant land, and 
 dreamed that instead of music I heard the gay and 
 joyous laugh of children; the scene was changed 
 — familiar faces stood around me, some one whom 
 I could not see laid his hand on my shoulder, and 
 in that moment I started up and sighed. 
 
 It was partly truth and partly fiction ; the laugh 
 by which I was awoke proceeded from my brother 
 officers, who had discovered me asleep. Yes, to 
 my shame be it said, the music and my thoughts 
 had lulled me to sleep. The dance was over, the 
 music silenced, the inhabitants had retired. I rose 
 refreshed, although perhaps with regret that my 
 dream had been disturbed ; and, having escorted 
 the Russian officers home, we sought repose. 
 
 Let us now return to the military operations. 
 The third corps d'armee, under the command of 
 F. M. L. Baron Kamberg, had forced the passage 
 across the Theiss by Kanisa, during the proceed- 
 ings of our troops at Szegedin. The first corps 
 d'armee was at Mako on the 4th, and threatened 
 
IN HUNGARY. 199 
 
 to cut off the retreat of the enemy. As the entire 
 army was now again united, the enemy was pur- 
 sued towards Temiswar, and on the 8th the head- 
 quarters of F. M. Baron Haynau were at Sovrin, 
 and the army had advanced on the line of Sajteuy 
 Kaey, Sz Peter, Pesgak, and across Csatad, as far 
 as Hatzfold, from Malso. F. M. S. Count 
 Schlick had sent a flying column of Mezohegyes, 
 by which the Government stud of 3000 horses was 
 saved. 
 
 The enemy had driven his corps from Szegedin 
 towards Temiswar, and having succeeded in effect- 
 ing a union with Vetter, intended to all appearances 
 to accept battle and to make a standbefore Temis- 
 war, which he was probably encouraged to do by 
 the force at his command, which included artillery 
 to the number of 100 guns. 
 
 On the 9th August, F. M. L. Baron Haynau 
 directed the third corps d'armee, and the Cavalry 
 division Wallmoden (formerly Bechthold), sta- 
 tioned at Csatad, and the Russian division Panin- 
 tin, which stood at Sovrin, to advance across Sillet 
 toward Kiss Buskerek, and at the same time 
 ordered the reserve corps stationed at Peszak to 
 Hodony and Karany, in order to take the enemy 
 in the right flank. 
 
200 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 The first corps d'armee was disposed of as 
 follows: — The flank columns were directed on 
 either bank of the Maros to Pieska and Foulak, 
 with the main troops from Kacy and St. Peter to 
 Monoster and Vinga. When the third corps 
 d'armee and the Cavalry division advanced from 
 Buskerek in order to attain an advantageous 
 position, the enemy, who immediately developed 
 a considerable number of batteries and cavalry 
 divisions, offered a strong resistance beyond the 
 little stream which runs across the road, and suc- 
 ceeded in making several circuitous movements, by 
 which the left flank was threatened. 
 
 Upon this, F. M. Baron Haynau ordered the 
 Russian division, Panintin, with the batteries, and, 
 later, the reserve batteries, to move into order of 
 battle line. The development of those masses, 
 and the effective fire of the artillery, silenced the 
 enemy's guns. Then a general advance was or- 
 dered : the Cavalry Brigade Lederer covered the 
 right flank, the Cavalry Brigade Simbschen the 
 left wing of the line. At 4 o'clock in the after- 
 noon, the reserve corps of Prince Lichtenstein 
 appeared on the field and advanced upon the right 
 flank of the enemy, who then retired upon the 
 
IN HUNGARY. £01 
 
 whole line, and towards evening also retreated 
 from the strongly occupied wood behind the 
 Beregzaboch. 
 
 In the meantime, F. M. L. Count Schlick had 
 advanced with his corps as far as Monoster. The 
 troops behaved most bravely, and evinced a per- 
 severance worthy of admiration ; the artillery in 
 particular had distinguished itself, for the battle 
 had, with the exception of a few successful cavalry 
 charges, been confined to a seven hours' cannonade. 
 
 I cannot refrain from mentioning the distin- 
 guished services rendered by the director of the 
 field artillery, G. M. Von Hanslab, on the days 
 of Szegedin, Szoreg, and Temiswar, for it was 
 under that gallant General's guidance that the 
 artillery was in this campaign made use of by 
 Austria for the first time in great and imposing 
 masses, which was throughout attended with most 
 brilliant success. 
 
 The same evening, a few hours after the battle, 
 Baron Haynau, at the head of two cavalry divi- 
 sions, and covered by a few battalions of the division 
 Panintin, entered Temiswar, which was relieved 
 in the moment of the most imminent danger, after 
 having been subject to so many calamities. The 
 
 K 3 
 
202 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 scenes witnessed on the entry of the Austrian 
 troops into Temiswar were heart-rending. 
 
 The fortress exposed to the enemy's cannon, 
 and during so long a period, and after uninterupted 
 fighting, seemed on the point of falling in. The 
 interior of the town resembled a ruin, and the 
 bombardment of the enemy on the 11th of June 
 with thirty and sixty pounder bombs, might be 
 traced in the many houses quite unroofed, others 
 partly damaged, but not a single one uninjured; 
 several, quite demolished, were only a heap of 
 ruins, and all more or less fearfully dilapidated. 
 The garrison as well as the inhabitants looked 
 pale and emaciated, but no wonder when we 
 consider what they suffered. For some time past, 
 they had been living on horse-flesh, and even that 
 was only to be obtained at a high price. Yet 
 notwithstanding that typhus and cholera raged 
 with unabated fury, that the town was an hospital, 
 one-fourth of the garrison dead, one-fourth of 
 them unavailable, because on the sick list, and 
 amongst whom were no less than 60 officers, yet 
 in the face of all the sufferings consequent on 
 their position, the brave Commandant, F. M. L. 
 Baron Kukowina, sent the Parlamentaire, who 
 
IN HUNGARY. 203 
 
 had come on the part of the insurgent chief to 
 offer capitulation, back with the answer that the 
 garrison would defend the fortress to the last 
 cartridge. 
 
 The opening of the doors, which had been 
 closed since the 25 th of April, the meeting with 
 the comrades who had fought with double energy 
 in remembering all their sufferings, was truly 
 affecting. It was one of those scenes which we 
 can picture to ourselves but not describe. The 
 heroic garrison had melted away considerably, for 
 the cholera increased as their provisions diminished, 
 and had in the latter period carried off 60 and 80 
 victims per day. 
 
 It was deeply lamented by the army that the 
 valiant veteran F. M. L. Baron Kukowina, the 
 commandant, fell a victim to this epidemic, a few 
 weeks after the relief of the fortress. 
 
 The army under Dembinski, Messaros, Desweffy, 
 and Guy on, having been completely beaten through 
 by the brilliant relief of Temiswar by our troops, 
 the Hungarian question might be considered as 
 decided. Gorgey's last attempt to unite himself, 
 across Kadna by Sugos, with the different insur- 
 gent corps in the South of Hungary who had 
 
204 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 been beaten and forced behind Temiswar by the 
 Austrian army, proved abortive, and had been 
 baffled by the whole combined operations of the 
 two Imperial armies. F. M. L. Count Schlick had 
 also succeeded in repelling Gorgey's advanced 
 guard, which attempted to effect a passage by 
 Arad, most brilliantly, and with considerable loss 
 on the part of the enemy. 
 
 It was at that time, that the revolutionary 
 government sought to commence negotiations with 
 Prince Paskiewitch, who refused to agree to any 
 other terms except unconditional surrender. 
 
 Kossuth, who had himself given up his cause 
 as lost, had resigned, and Gorgey was elected 
 Dictator. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 205 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Gorgey's Surrender at Villagos — Respective Position of 
 the Allied Imperial Forces and the Insurgent Army, 
 previously to the Surrender at Villagos — Position of 
 Arad at the Outbreak of the Revolution — Our Brigade 
 encamps before Arad — Negotiations relative to the 
 Surrender of the Fortress — The Last Outpost Skirmish 
 — Capitulation of Arad — Bern and Guy on — The different 
 Insurgent Corps lay down their Arms — Count Vecsay 
 and his Troops — Departure of the Leaders of the Rebel- 
 lion for Turkey — General Panintin — Valour of the 
 Russian Troops — Surrender of Peterwardein — The 
 Austro-Russian Troops before Comorn — The Capitula- 
 lation of Comorn — Prince Paskiewitch and F. Z. M. 
 Baron Haynau — Arrival of Gorgey's Corps at Arad — 
 Visit to the Prisoners' Camp — Captain M. — Madame M. 
 — Condition of the Insurgent Troops — Departure from 
 Arad — Arrival in Grosswardein — Baron B. — The Catho- 
 lic Bishop — Keszthely. 
 
 The last act of the Hungarians, the surrender 
 of Gorgey, with his army, at Villagos, has been 
 commented on so differently in foreign countries, 
 
206 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 the views and opinions on that head are so con- 
 tradictory, the statements so incorrect, that I shall 
 endeavour to give a condensed sketch of the re- 
 spective positions of the belligerent parties at that 
 period, which cannot fail to convince an impartial 
 reader that Gorgey's position was not tenable, 
 and that his surrender was inevitable. The only 
 alternative at his command being to fight another 
 battle, which, from the position of our troops, he 
 must have lost, and whereby he would have un- 
 necessarily sacrificed thousands. 
 
 The position of the allied armies was as fol- 
 lows : — 
 
 The main body of the Russian troops at Gross- 
 wardein. The Third Corps had advanced as far 
 as Koros. General Luders was on his way from 
 Carlsburg, in Transylvania. General Grotenhulm 
 in Klausenburg. Towards New Arad stood the 
 Austrian corps under the command of General 
 Count Schlick, and at Temiswar the main body of 
 the Austrian army, under the command of F. M. 
 Z. Baron Haynau. 
 
 The insurgent army stood, without any hope 
 of effecting a union, in the following position :— - 
 The corps under the command of Gorgey at the 
 
IN HUNGARY. 
 
 207 
 
 Karos, and that under the command of Bern, on 
 the retreat by Lugos. 
 
 Gorgey could not, therefore, but see the utter 
 hopelessness of success, and the uselessness of 
 further resistance. He therefore surrendered 
 unconditionally, and laid down the arms of his 
 entire corps, consisting of 30,000 men, 5,000 
 chargers, 3,000 draught horses, and 144 guns, 
 before the Imperial Russian army, on the 13th 
 of August, at Villagos. Gorgey also undertook 
 to exert his influence with the other insurgent 
 leaders, and prevail on them to surrender without 
 further resistance. 
 
 The Brigade to which my regiment belonged, 
 was already en route for Transylvania ; but 
 Gorgey's surrender rendering a reinforcement 
 unnecessary, we received a counter-order, with 
 instructions to march to Arad, of which I will 
 give some particulars. 
 
 The town of Arad is intersected by the river 
 Maros, and forms two towns, New and Old Arad, 
 the former, rather an insignificant town, belongs 
 to the Banat, and was always opposed to Kos- 
 suth's faction, the greater part of the inhabitants 
 being Germans and Romans. The latter is a neat, 
 
208 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 pretty town, on the right bank of the Maros, and 
 belongs to Hungary, wherefore the inhabitants 
 were inclined towards Magyarism. 
 
 The fortress of Arad is devoid of interest, ex- 
 cept in a military point of view, and is about two 
 thousand paces distant from Old and New Arad,- 
 At the outbreak of the revolution, this small 
 fortress was occupied by 500 men — that is, the 
 second battalion of the garrison — a small num- 
 ber of half-invalids, and about 150 men of the 
 Hungarian infantry regiment, Don Miguel ; but 
 of this body of troops, which was commanded by 
 the veteran Field Marshal Lieutenant Berger, 
 only 300 men would be considered as fit for ser- 
 vice. Thirty-nine batteries were placed upon the 
 walls of the fortress, which have a circumference 
 of 900 klafters. Provisions and ammunition 
 were at a low ebb. As for money, there was none. 
 
 Such was the position of the Imperial garrison 
 when hostilities were commenced by the enemy 
 on the 6th of October, 1848. On the 27th 
 October, the insurgents had increased their be- 
 sieging force to 20,000 men, with seventy-two 
 batteries of heavy calibre. The enemy then 
 made several assaults, which were successfully re- 
 
IN HUNGARY. 209 
 
 pelled by our troops ; but provisions became so 
 scarce, that the garrison was compelled to kill 
 horses. 
 
 The superior number of the insurgent forces 
 before Arad, as well as the complete want of provi- 
 sions and ammunition, induced the valorous F. M. 
 L. Berger to consent to an honourable capitulation, 
 the conditions being free departure of the garrison, 
 which took place on the 1st July. The insurgent 
 Chief, Danijanich, then took the command of 
 this fortress, which post he maintained during the 
 war. 
 
 When our brigade encamped before New Arad, 
 and in a few days later Old Arad, the fortress, now 
 besieged for the second time, was still in the hands 
 of the insurgents, although the surrender of the 
 fortress was expected almost daily, negotiations 
 to that effect having been commenced by the 
 garrison, who had sent Parlamentaires to Kissy 
 Jeno, to meet General Butur on his way to 
 F. Z. M. Baron Haynau, whither he had been 
 sent by Prince Paskiewitch, with the important 
 news of Gorgey's surrender. 
 
 The insurgents offered to capitulate to General 
 Rudiger on honourable conditions. On receiving 
 
210 
 
 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 this report from General Buturhu, General Rudiger 
 directed him to send for Gorgey, who was at Kissy 
 Jeno, accompanied by the chief of the general 
 staff of the Srd corps, in order that he might re- 
 present to the Par lame ntaires the incongruity of 
 their demands. 
 
 On his arrival, Gorgey declared himself ready 
 to write to the commandant of Arad, and induce 
 him to agree to an unconditional surrender ; he 
 at the same time also addressed two letters con- 
 taining similar requests to the commandants of 
 Peterwardein and Comorn. Whilst this nego- 
 tiation had been carried on, Colonel Chrulew of 
 the artillery reported to General Rudiger, that 
 on the occasion of his passing in the vicinity of 
 Arad, when en route to put himself in communi- 
 cation with F. Z- M. Baron Haynau, the garrison 
 had offered to allow him to occupy the fortress, 
 as soon as he should be provided with the necessary 
 orders from General Rudiger. General Buturhu, 
 having received the letters of General Rudiger 
 and Gorgey to the commandant of the fortress at 
 Arad, repaired thither. He reached Arad on the 
 15th, and sent both letters to the commandant, who 
 gave his reply at 10 o'clock in the morning of the 
 
IN HUNGARY. 211 
 
 16th ; upon this the commandant was offered two 
 hours to consider, with the intimation that at 12 
 o'clock the Russian squadrons of Colonel Chru- 
 lew's corps would quit Old Arad, and all commu- 
 nication between the Russians' and the fortress 
 cease, in which case the blockading and taking 
 of the fortress would then be left to Count 
 Schlick. 
 
 After a lapse of two hours, a Major of the staff 
 appeared before General Buturhu as Parlamen- 
 taire, and brought the conditions of the capitula- 
 tion, wherein a general amnesty for the garrison 
 was demanded. General Buturhu, however, 
 insisted on their unconditional surrender, and de- 
 clared that the garrison would be dealt with pre- 
 cisely as Gorgey's corps. At the request of the 
 Parlamentaire, General Buturhu repaired him- 
 self to the commandant of the fortress, and after 
 an hour's negotiation it was decided to deliver the 
 fortress into the hands of the Russians on the 
 following conditions : — To grant, 1st, 48 hours to 
 the garrison to quit ; 2nd, On the 17th at 3 o'clock 
 the garrison in the fortress should stand in rank 
 and file, lay down their arms, andbe escorted to Sar- 
 kad by one squadron of Hussars and 50 Cossacks ; 
 
212 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 3rd, After their departure the fortress with all 
 the government property, arms, and ammunition, 
 was to be given up to the Austrians. The officers 
 of the garrison having agreed to those terms, the 
 capitulation was carried into effect on the 17th 
 August. 
 
 It may be imagined that we were not a little 
 delighted at the surrender of the fortress, which 
 we had awaited with extreme impatience, for all 
 hostilities having ceased since Gorgey's surrender, 
 the service allotted to us was one of the most 
 disagreeable for the soldier. The day preceding 
 the capitulation of Arad we had an outpost skir- 
 mish, which I believe was almost the last of the 
 Hungarian campaign, and the origin of this 
 unnecessary attack was ludicrous enough. 
 
 The insurgents drove a herd of oxen, about 
 120 in number, to water into the Moros, but the 
 poor animals, probably tired of the dry food 
 offered them within the fortress, and enticed by 
 the tantalizing green of the meadows on the 
 opposite bank, swam across to us, and were of 
 course at once taken possession of by our men. 
 The enemy, enraged at being thus deprived of 
 their cattle, immediately sent a strong infantry 
 
IN HUNGARY. 213 
 
 patrol, which was followed by a detachment of 
 Hussars in boats, who all made for our shores. 
 When they had come within shot, a hot fire was 
 opened en both sides, which ended in the retreat 
 of the patrol, and a few were wounded on our side. 
 
 This superfluous hostility might have been 
 avoided, since it was already generally known 
 that the fortress would surrender the next day, 
 with all provisions and war materials. We 
 occupied the fortress on the 1 7th of August, and 
 on the 28th received an order to take up quarters 
 in Old Arad. 
 
 It is scarcely possible to describe the joy with 
 which we broke up our gipsey-like huts ; though, 
 for my part, I could not find myself at home in 
 the confinement of a room for many a day, after 
 having been accustomed to a four months' conti- 
 nual bivouac. But I must acknowledge that I 
 quickly learned to appreciate comforts which I 
 had been deprived of for so long a period, and 
 soon felt the difference between a house and a 
 camp, and was keenly alive to that, between a warm 
 dry bed and the wet grass. I no longer watched 
 the clouds, in unpleasant anticipation of a cold 
 shower-bath, and once more listened with perfect 
 
214 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 indifference to the rain pattering on my windows. 
 The garrison who capitulated in the fortress of 
 Arad consisted of 3768 men, besides which no 
 less than 143 guns, as well as considerable provi- 
 sions, were found. General Buturhu gave the 
 fortress into the hands of General Count Schlick 
 the same evening. 
 
 When Gorgey's surrender became known, no 
 further resistance was attempted by the different 
 insurgent corps, who laid down their arms, in con- 
 sequence of which all hostilities ceased. I will, 
 therefore, now give a short account of the most 
 important capitulations which followed that of 
 Arad almost immediately, including Peterwardein 
 and Munkacz. General Luders having been in- 
 formed that a strong corps, with 15 guns, 
 had rallied under Bern and Guyon, between 
 Dobra and Cesm, sent a Parlamentaire to the 
 commandant, calling on him to surrender, but 
 Bern refused to listen to any proposals of capitu- 
 lation, upon which General Luders ordered 
 General Engelhardt to take up a strong position 
 at Deva, which had been blown up accidentally. 
 
 Shortly after, however, Parlamentaires were 
 sent on the part of the insurgents, who stated that 
 
IN HUNGARY. 215 
 
 Bern and Guyon, having taken their departure, 
 the corps were willing tcfcapitulate. The neces- 
 sary arrangements were immediately made by 
 General Luders, and on the afternoon of the 
 18th, twelve battalions infantry, and eight squa- 
 drons of cavalry, under the command of Colonel 
 Beckers, laid down their arms, and gave up fifty 
 batteries. At the same time, the Magyar de- 
 tachment at Debra and Hazeg expressed them- 
 selves willing to surrender. 
 
 After the battle of Temiswar, and the conse- 
 cutive events, F. M. Z. Baron Haynau ordered 
 a strict pursuit of the different insurgent corps 
 who had separated on their flight, and hurried, 
 one part from Lugos by Focset, to the Maros 
 towards Deva ; the other across Karausches 
 towards Mehadia. The third corps d'armee, the 
 reserve, and the cavalry division Wallmoden, 
 were employed in the pursuit. On the 19th, a 
 Magyar division, under the command of Lazar, 
 consisting of 5000 men, infantry and cavalry, and 
 19 batteries, surrendered by Karansebes to the 
 Imperial Austrian Brigade of General Baron 
 Simbschen, and on the same day, 72 batteries, 
 and 100 baggage waggons, which had been 
 
216 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 left behind by Vecsey 's corps, fell into the 
 hands of the Imperial troops. On the 22nd, the 
 corps of Vecsey, consisting of 555 officers, 7443 
 men, two batteries, eight flags, seven standards, 
 and 1667 cavalry horses, laid down their arms to 
 General Rudiger, at Barosy-Jeno, and Count 
 Vecsey himself, at the head of 2000 men, sur- 
 rendered to the Russian troops before Gross - 
 wardien. 
 
 On the 16th August, Field Marshal Prince 
 Paskeiwitch had ordered General Karlowitch to 
 the Berg Comitats, in the east of Hungary, in 
 order to clear it of the different insurgent corps, 
 and to observe the fortress of Munkaez. General 
 K , having acted with the greatest circum- 
 spection, the fortress, consisting of 361 men, 
 and 2\ guns, surrendered on the 20th August to 
 the Russian General, who then returned to 
 Kaschan, having occupied Munkaez with one 
 battalion. On the 25th, the insurgent corps 
 under Kossiney, 12,000 men, and 56 cannons, 
 had laid down their arms to General Grotenhichn. 
 
 Thus, the most important part of the insurgent 
 army in Hungary was dissolved, the different 
 corps had surrendered mostly to the Russian 
 
IN HUNGARY. 217 
 
 Russian army, some to the Austrian army, and 
 the rest had succeeded in escaping to Turkey, with 
 a considerable number of superior officers, and 
 insurgent leaders, amongst whom were Kossuth, 
 Bern, Dembinsky, Guy on, Casimir, Batthyany, 
 and many others. 
 
 The guerilla bands which still infested the 
 country, are scarcely worth noticing. But the 
 two fortresses, Peterwardein and Comorn, still held 
 out, hoping to obtain more favourable conditions 
 than their companions in arms had done. In the 
 meantime, General Grabbe, employed in the 
 pacification of the eastern mountainous district of 
 Hungary, had reached Neusobl on the 16th with 
 his corps, having proceeded by Potnok, Rimce, 
 Sombat, and Losonej ; and on the 19th, General 
 Panintin quitted the Austrian army with his corps, 
 and marched from Kisy Falu to Arad, and from 
 thence to Uj St. Anna, where he united himself to 
 the third corps d'armee. 
 
 Before we take leave of General Panintin, I 
 cannot refrain from adding, that he had won the 
 esteem of the Austrian army and her eminent 
 leaders. He had shared the hardships of the 
 most toilsome marches, and the days at Zsigard 
 
£18 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 before Comorn, and at Theiss, gave brilliant 
 proofs of the sagacious disposition of General 
 Panintin, and the bravery of the Russian troops ; 
 who, nobly vieing with the rival valour of the Aus- 
 trian army, thus soon obtained decisive conquests, 
 and the distinguished services rendered by Gen- 
 eral Panintin, as well as his military abilities, 
 were fully acknowledged and appreciated by 
 F. Z. M. Baron Haynau, the Generals Count 
 Schlick, and Wohlgemuth, and it may be added 
 the army in general. 
 
 On the 7th of September, the garrison of the 
 fortress Peterwardein surrendered unconditionally, 
 having assured themselves of the fact, that the in- 
 surrection was suppressed throughout Hungary ; 
 and that, as they could not under those circum- 
 stances entertain any hope of capitulating on 
 specific conditions, further resistance would only 
 aggravate their condition. Colonel Maniula of 
 the engineers, was then directed to arrange the 
 preliminaries of the surrender of Peterwardein. 
 
 Comorn was now the only fortress that still 
 remained in the hands of the insurgents. The 
 imposing force before Comorn, consisting of 248 
 companies, 20 companies rifle, 23 squadrons of 
 
IN HUNGARY. 219 
 
 cavalry, and 138 batteries, on the whole 51,808, 
 men, Austrian troops, and 1840 horses, and the 
 Imperial Russian division under General Grabbe, 
 composed of 16,000, could at any moment have 
 besieged and taken Comorn, but the government 
 determined on being lenient and merciful in this 
 instance, for several reasons. First, it was essen- 
 tial to gain this last point d'appui of the insur- 
 rection, without loss of time. Secondly, to 
 prevent further sacrifice of human life. Thirdly, 
 to avoid the heavy expenses of besieging Comorn, 
 and restore the commercial intercourse to the 
 unhappy country, from the interruption from 
 which it had suffered so much. 
 
 On the 28th, F. M. Count Schlick, accompanied 
 by a field commissary, and the requisite officers of 
 artillery and engineers, repaired to Comorn, to 
 make the necessary preparations with the com- 
 mandant, for the surrender of the fortress. The 
 conditions granted by His Majesty to the garrison 
 were the following. 1st. Free departure of the 
 garrison without arms, with the exception of the 
 officers, who were permitted to retain their swords. 
 All officers who had previously served in the Aus- 
 trian army, will obtain passports to foreign coun- 
 
 l2 
 
220 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 tries ; but those who do not wish to avail them- 
 selves of this offer, are at liberty to return to 
 their homes, with the exception of those who 
 should express a wish to enlist. The Honved 
 officers are permitted to return to their homes, 
 without reservation as to their future employ- 
 ments. A general amnesty is granted to the 
 deserters from the Imperial regiments ; and they, 
 as well as those who were promoted to the rank 
 of officer during the insurrection, and all com- 
 promised, are set free, and will not be further 
 prosecuted, or tried by law. 2nd. All those 
 will obtain passports to foreign countries who 
 apply within thirty days. 3rd. The officers will 
 receive a month's, and the soldiers ten days' 
 pay. 4th. In order to enable the garrison in 
 the fortress to make a compensation for the 
 liabilities incurred, a sum of 500,000 florins 
 (£50,000) will be paid to them. 5th. The soldiers 
 on the sick list, or those crippled in the hos- 
 pitals, will be provided for. 6th. Moveable 
 as well as immoveable property, may be retained. 
 7th. The place, time, and way of laying down the 
 arms will be determined on later. 8th. The hos- 
 
IN HUNGARY. 221 
 
 tilities to cease immediately. On the 3rd and 
 4th, strong detachments of Honveds left the for- 
 tress. 
 
 Such were the conditions agreed to, and on the 
 2nd of October the occupation of Comorn by 
 Austrian troops was commenced. On that day, 
 the bridge head of the Danube and the Sandberg 
 were taken possession of, on the 3rd the old fortress 
 and the town, and on the 4th the Palatinal line 
 and the bridge head of the Waag were occupied, 
 and thus the Imperial standard waved again from 
 the walls of Comorn. God grant that, placed in 
 powerful hands, it may never more be superseded 
 by foreign colours ! 
 
 The formation of the Imperial allied forces 
 gives the rare example of two armies directed by 
 two able leaders, who though acting on different 
 principles, and independently of each other, yet 
 accomplished the task entrusted to them by united 
 and well combined operations. Prince Paskie- 
 witch, anxious to suppress the insurrection by a 
 skilful disposal of imposing masses which he 
 placed in the field, occupied the most important 
 strategic points, hoping thus to render resistance 
 
222 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 impracticable, and bring the war to a speedy issue 
 with as little bloodshed as possible. 
 
 F. M. L. Baron Haynau, inspired by the noblest 
 patriotism, ensured the army under his command 
 an active and, for the glory of the Austrian arms, 
 a brilliant part in the operations. Well combined 
 movements and circumspection illustrated the 
 plans of the operations of the Russian general, 
 whilst those of the Austrian field-marshal were 
 characterized by an eager desire to come up with 
 and bring the enemy to action. The Russian 
 General had to deal with the better part of the 
 insurgent army, led on by a skilful leader, and 
 saw at a glance that the differences existing be- 
 tween him and the other insurgent leaders para- 
 lyzed his movements. 
 
 The Austrian field-marshal, on the other hand, 
 soon became aware that the insurgent army 
 placed opposite to him, being indifferently orga- 
 nized, and under the command of a bold but igno- 
 rant leader, would march to the field with reluc- 
 tance. Thus that part of the insurgent army 
 whose powers were paralyzed was forced to sur- 
 render, whilst that part which appeared in the 
 
IN HUNGARY. 223 
 
 field discovered that they could not compete with 
 the valour of the Austrian army, and were 
 beaten. 
 
 The 25th of August will ever remain indel- 
 libly impressed on my memory. On that day 
 Gorgey's army, which had surrendered on the 
 13th at Villagos, arrived under a strong escort. 
 The corps consisted of thirteen generals, amongst 
 whom were Nagy, Sandor, Linkay, Aulich, Pol- 
 tenberg, Damjanich, Kiss, and several others, 
 then 4000 officers and 13,000 sub-officers and 
 privates, and 144 guns. The thirteen generals, 
 as well as those officers who had previously served 
 in the Austrian army, were sent to the fortress. 
 The other officers and the 13,000 men encamped 
 in two different plains, within a short distance of 
 the town. 
 
 Amongst the cannon taken from Gorgey, I 
 found one of French manufacture, with the re- 
 publican motto, " Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite," 
 and also one of Venetian make. As the line of 
 prisoners passed on, I recognised several friends 
 and acquaintances amongst them with deep re- 
 gret. 
 
 In the course of the afternoon, I repaired to the 
 
224 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 camp, and I confess that a sad feeling stole over 
 me as I contemplated the fate of these unfortu- 
 nate men, which yet was deserved. I was not a 
 little astonished to find thousands of vehicles, of 
 all descriptions, drawn up in several lines, laden 
 with women and children, wives and daughters of 
 the officers, who had followed the army during the 
 campaign. But I was still more astonished to 
 find that most of the insurgent officers had mar- 
 ried since the commencement of the insurrection, 
 and rendered the credulous young beings who 
 had confided in them indescribably unhappy, since 
 most of the insurgent officers, excepting those of 
 a higher rank, were quite poor people, who 
 grasped the sword with pleasure, fine promises of 
 a bright future and high pay having been held out 
 to them, but possessing nothing now on this wide 
 earth. Their families are penniless. 
 
 I was painfully affected to find Capt. M of 
 
 the Micolaus Hussars,who had deserted his colours, 
 amongst the prisoners. Handsome and gay, he 
 had ever been the pride of his regiment. We 
 had not met since 1846, when his prospects were 
 most brilliant, and he was on the eve of marriage 
 with the very pretty and only daughter of a dis- 
 
IN HUNGARY. 225 
 
 tinguished General in the Austrian service. We 
 saluted each ether. A momentary flush over- 
 spread his handsome features, then he was pale as 
 death — I not less so from emotion. His wife's 
 name trembled on my lips, and I dared not ask 
 him about her lest I should inflict unnecessary 
 pain ; but, at that moment, a familiar voice called 
 
 out Baron P . I turned, and to my horror 
 
 beheld his young wife, but little accustomed to 
 such scenes, and his infant daughter. I scarcely 
 knew what to say; consolation I could offer none, 
 and so I stood motionless before her. 
 
 When last we met, it was at a ball given by the 
 
 Countess R , whose husband was Governor of 
 
 a Circle in Bohemia. We were old acquaintances, 
 and had often danced together. Well I remem- 
 ber her blooming with youth and beauty — how 
 she accepted my congratulations on her approach- 
 ing marriage with smiles and blushes. 
 
 Little did we both dream, in that happy hour, 
 where and under what circumstances our next 
 meeting would take place. At last, she stammered 
 out — 
 
 " Oh, Baron P , what a change since we 
 
 met — I am very unhappy." 
 
 l 3 
 
225 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 Her voice faltered, and her tears gushed forth. 
 I pressed her hand in silence, and offered my ser- 
 vices as far as it lay in my power. She shook 
 her head mournfully. Captain M was un- 
 fortunately deeply implicated, and she was there- 
 fore fully aware that her happiness was blighted 
 for life. Deeply attached to him, she looked 
 sadly on his handsome countenance, and then 
 asked me — 
 
 " Where is the Baroness ?'* 
 
 " In England," I replied. 
 
 " Oh, when you write, remember me to her, and 
 tell her of my misfortunes — she will pity me." 
 
 She turned away to press her infant to her 
 aching heart, and I am not ashamed to confess that 
 I felt choked with emotion as I gazed after her 
 retreating form — so young, and so unhappy. 
 
 M was stern and silent ; and I feel con- 
 vinced that if he ever regretted his error, he must 
 have been keenly alive to it at that moment, in 
 which happier times were recalled so forcibly to 
 his mind by my presence. We had often met 
 when his father-in-law commanded the Rifle 
 
 Regiment as Colonel, in K g, an hour's drive 
 
 only from our quarters. He had taken his wife from 
 
IN HUNGARY. 227 
 
 a happy home, for her parents idolized her ; and 
 now what was her fate ! How sad I felt on leav- 
 ing the camp ; how the image of that unfortunate 
 lady and her child haunted me ; how I pitied her, 
 and in the course of that long night I remem- 
 bered her bright smiles when officiating beside 
 her mother at the tea-table, in all the enjoyment 
 of unalloyed happiness. I remembered the spirit 
 with which she danced at her mother's balls, and 
 I rushed from my bed to look out at the moon and 
 stars, that I might forget her, but still her sad, 
 pale features recurred to my memory. 
 
 How could M , whom I had always thought 
 
 so highly of, forget his duty, and prepare such 
 sorrows for his young wife? As I left Arad 
 shortly after, I do not know what became of her, 
 but she probably returned to her family in Bo- 
 hemia. 
 
 The condition in which we found the men of 
 the insurgent army was most deplorable. Their 
 clothing was reduced to rags, and their half-starved 
 appearance could not fail to awaken pity, and gave 
 us the firm assurance that further resistance be- 
 came morally impossible from the moment that 
 the army had reached that point of disorganization. 
 
228 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 Unconditional surrender was, therefore, its only 
 alternative ; for, by the rapid advance of our 
 army, provisions became scarcer every day, and 
 there had been such a want latterly even of bread 
 that the poor Honveds were quite emaciated, and 
 many of them died of starvation. 
 
 Shortly after the capitulation of Arad, I went 
 with my battalion to Szimand, to take charge of a 
 transport of 4000 prisoners, and on that occasion I 
 had an opportunity of seeing how dreadfully these 
 poor soldiers must have suffered by their rapid 
 retreat. On quitting Arad, I was informed of the 
 destitution of the Honveds, and we actually took 
 four large waggons of bread to save the half- 
 famished people, but notwithstanding this precau- 
 tion several died on the road of starvation. The 
 Honved officers as well as the men were enlisted 
 according to their capacities into the different 
 regiments. By degrees, the numerous camps were 
 dissolved, and all traces of this sanguinary civil war 
 disappeared, albeit there are scars which only time 
 can heal. The concentrated troops dispersed 
 into the different garrisons, and thus many regi- 
 ments who had fought side by side, had shared 
 
IN HUNGARY. 229 
 
 toil and pleasure, separated perhaps never to meet 
 again. 
 
 Our regiment soon afterwards marched to Gross- 
 wardein, which we were ordered to garrison. We 
 reached it on the 17th of September, and on the 
 same day I was invited through General Count 
 
 Schlick to dine with him at Baron B 's, the 
 
 Bishop of Grosswardein, who inhabited a splendid 
 
 palace. It was well known that Baron B 
 
 was a partisan of the so-called Hungarian faction, 
 which did not however prevent him from giving 
 toasts to the Imperial family and his Majesty's 
 Generals. There is scarcely any further record 
 to make of the Campaign, which had terminated 
 at last. 
 
 We remained at Grosswardein until the 7th of 
 November, when we received orders to march to 
 Keszthely on the Platten sea. We regretted 
 leaving Grosswardein, as the hospitality of F. M. L. 
 Prince Leichtenstein and F. M.Count Wallmoden, 
 who both entertained a good deal, rendered Gross- 
 wardein an extremely agreeable garrison. We 
 reached Keszthely, which is a very pretty village, 
 and belongs to Count Tassilo Festeties, on the 4th 
 of December. The scenery is charming and most 
 
230 THE CAMPAIGN IN HUNGARY. 
 
 romantic, the chateau and grounds are magnificent. 
 The Platten sea affords excellent fishing in 
 summer, so that on the whole it promises to 
 become an agreeable scene of rest and relaxation 
 after the arduous labours of a year's campaign. 
 
MEMOIR 
 
 KOSSUTH. 
 
THE CAMPAIGN IN HUNGARY. Z&3 
 
 MEMOIR 
 
 KOSSUTH, 
 
 Lajos* Kossuth was born on the 27th of April, 
 1806, in the miserable little village of Mono k, in 
 the Zemplines Yespannschaft,-f in the north of 
 Hungary, and was the son of poor parents. It is 
 true that his father was a Sclavonian gentleman ; 
 notwithstanding which, he was however, compelled 
 to support himself by hard labour, and his earn- 
 ings barely sufficed to support his family. 
 
 In the days of his boyhood, Kossuth already 
 gave symptoms of that pride and ambition, which 
 have proved his ruin, and led him to misapply 
 those talents, by which he might, in the legal path, 
 have benefited his country, whereas, the curse of 
 Hungary now rests upon him. 
 
 As a child, he scorned to associate with the 
 
 * Lewis. f County, or shire. 
 
234 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 children of the village, and passed his days in 
 dangerous solitude, on the shores of the wild and 
 stormy Indawa, whilst his father was ploughing at 
 home. Kossuth's parents were Protestants, and 
 the young clergyman (with whose name we are 
 not acquainted) of a neighbouring village, having 
 discovered in some conversations which he had 
 had with the boy, that he was gifted with a quick 
 and clear intellect, undertook to educate him. 
 
 To this clergyman, Kossuth is indebted for the 
 first rudiments of knowledge ; which, by gradually 
 developing his mind, awoke in him the desire to 
 become acquainted with the world. This wish 
 was sooner to be gratified than he imagined, for 
 duty called the clergyman to a distant part of the 
 country, his parents* soon after died of an epi- 
 demic, which carried away most of the inhabi- 
 tants of the town, and Kossuth stood a penniless 
 orphan, alone in the world. Some of his relations 
 raised a subscription amongst themselves, which 
 enabled him to continue his studies in the college 
 of a neighbouring town, where he progressed 
 
 * According to seme authors, his mother is still alive, and 
 pompously gave him her blessing when he achieved his glorious 
 entry into Pesth. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 235 
 
 rapidly. His favourite study was history, and 
 even at that early age, his propensity for demo- 
 cracy might be traced in his glowing enthusiasm 
 for the rebel, Rakoczy, whose heroic deeds no 
 pupil knew so well, or told with such zeal, as the 
 boy Kossuth ; in whose childish heart the seed of 
 rebellion ripened, until he longed to follow the 
 footsteps of the celebrated chief, whose audacity 
 and bravery had made such a deep impression on 
 his enthusiastic, ardent disposition, that even the 
 crimes of his favourite became virtues in his 
 eyes. This application, coupled with talents of a 
 high order, soon made him the best scholar, as 
 well as the pride of the college ; and his tutors 
 often remarked, that whilst his companions sought 
 recreation, he would retire to his room, so absorbed 
 in the history of those times, which were so vividly 
 brought to his mind by the books which he was 
 perusing, that the mouldered skeletons of the 
 Hungarian heroes seemed to rise before him, and 
 instil into his youthful soul the desire to complete 
 what they had commenced. Up to his eighteenth 
 year, Kossuth remained at college. He had, 
 during his stay there, learned what no other of 
 his competitors could have accomplished ; and 
 
236 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 feeling himself capable of seeking his subsistence, 
 he entered the university of Pesth in the year 
 1826, where he pursued the same mode of life as 
 in the days of his boyhood. Politics then became 
 his favourite topic ; and he studied the parliamen- 
 tary history of England and France, in order to 
 acquire that knowledge so necessary to his future 
 plans, and with a view of preparing himself for 
 the path on which he bad determined to enter. 
 
 The chief feature in his character had, in his 
 earliest youth, been independence, which gra- 
 dually assumed a republican feeling ; and his as- 
 sociates and friends sometimes expressed their 
 fears, when he gave vent to his revolutionary ideas 
 and sentiments which were congenial to his nature, 
 and perhaps had derived nourishment from the very 
 fact, that Kossuth spent the best years of his life 
 in poverty and necessity ; from which he was only 
 extricated by the unexpected offer made him by 
 some of the deputies, who knowing him to be a 
 skilful notary, employed him to transact the busi- 
 ness which fell to their share, for the different comi- 
 tats. Kossuth accepted their offer, and was thus 
 placed in the position to be able to follow at leisure 
 those studies for which he had so much predilection. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 237 
 
 From this new office Kossuth derived two-fold 
 advantages ; firstly, he became intimately connected 
 with the people ; secondly, he was made acquainted 
 with the different parties that composed the Hun- 
 garian Parliament. 
 
 We must pass over some years, during which 
 Kossuth's new office gave him numerous oppor- 
 tunities of securing to himself the hearts of the 
 people in some parts of Hungary, by what means 
 is a question we cannot now enter upon. Suffice it 
 to say, that Kossuth's clear and quick in tellect had 
 not been long in discovering, how he could win 
 the loyal Hungarians, in whose hearts existed 
 none of the hatred Kossuth sought to inspire them 
 with, by the manner in which he represented the 
 Austrian government as Hungary's deadliest foe, 
 and, taking advantage of the vulnerable points of 
 attack, to which every government is more or less 
 liable, no matter what its form. He did not 
 scruple to lower the esteem of the people for the 
 sovereign, by every means in his power, and 
 having won their confidence through the medium 
 of his eloquence and apparent love of liberty, he 
 undermined secretly and steadily the loyalty of a 
 portion of the Hungarian nation, by exaggerat- 
 
S38 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 ing existing errors of government, and conjuring 
 up imaginary wrongs which Kossuth's prolific 
 imagination generated ad libitum ; he won pro- 
 selytes for the ambitious scheme that lay engen- 
 dered in his heart from his earliest youth, only 
 awaiting the opportune moment when it might be 
 safely brought into operation. He little thought 
 then, that the slumbering democratic tendencies 
 throughout Europe, which first saw light when 
 communism defiled the purity of religion, and 
 socialism the soul of Europe, vowing death to 
 those possessed of property, and breathing hope 
 to all who had none, would supply him with the 
 weapons to bring destruction on the country he 
 professed to love. 
 
 In the year 1827, Kossuth was called to the 
 bar and made his debut as speaker in the Comi- 
 tats House for the opposition, and in the year 
 1832, he brought himself into particular notice by 
 publishing the parliamentary proceedings in Hun- 
 gary. The origin of these reports is singular 
 enough. It appears that, soon after the opening 
 of the Imperial Diet, the States decided on pub- 
 lishing a circular reporting the debates, and ordered 
 the President of the Circle to appoint the editors. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 239 
 
 A meeting was held for that purpose at Wesselen- 
 yi's, where Kossuth, Oross, and Charles Hajnik, 
 appeared as candidates for the editorships, but 
 the aristocratic deputies who were assembled 
 received them coldly, and confined themselves 
 simply to giving their unbiassed opinion as to the 
 merits of an article written by Kossuth, and read 
 aloud on that occasion as a proof of his capacity. 
 The three candidates were elected, but the Arch- 
 Duke Palatine protested against Kossuth on the 
 grounds that he could not permit any other than 
 individuals of unblemished reputation to fill such 
 an important post. 
 
 Not one voice was raised in his favour, and 
 Count George Andrassy even expressed openly 
 the mistrust he entertained towards Kossuth, upon 
 which both Oross and Kossuth were excluded, 
 and they subsequently published conjointly the 
 debates of the Provincial Diet, by subscription, on 
 their own account, which appeared first under the 
 name of Oross, who had already acquired literary 
 reputation by his work in 1830, on the Diet, but 
 after a few months, he withdrew from the partner- 
 ship, his principles being more conservative, 
 whilst those of Kossuth assumed too revolutionary 
 
240 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 a tendency. The next production that appeared 
 was his essay on the instructions of the Diet, which 
 caused a great sensation, and heightened his popu- 
 larity to such a degree that the Ablegates of the 
 Comitats invited him to their table, and even per- 
 mitted him to take part in their conferences, for 
 the opposition was delighted at length to have 
 found an organ in Kossuth by which their senti- 
 ments were conveyed before the people ; and thus 
 matters went on, till at length, in 1835, the Aus- 
 trian-Government considered itself justified in 
 confiscating the journal, of which Kossuth was the 
 editor, and to forbid its publication. 
 
 A month later, Wesselenyi appeared in the 
 Assembly, with a packet of papers under his arm, 
 and spoke as follows — " It is the duty of a patriot 
 to act, when words are not sufficient ; wherefore 
 I have acted. I have provided myself with a 
 lithographic press, and herewith inform you that 
 the printing of our journal is in full progress. I 
 am the printer myself, and have the happiness to 
 present you with the first copies — here they are ! " 
 Saying this, he laid several on the table. The 
 impression produced by the above may be ima- 
 gined. All present, electrified as it were, pressed 
 
IN HUNGARY. 211 
 
 round him, with cheers and exclamations, return- 
 ing him thanks ; and Kossuth again became the 
 editor of this new journal. 
 
 Caring little for confiscation, he increased the 
 number of his writers, and found himself richly 
 rewarded by the extensive sale of this paper. 
 But his triumph was of short duration. The 
 Austrian Government thought it time to inter- 
 fere, and destroy with one blow the revolutionary 
 tendencies which were so publicly manifested ; 
 and on the 6th of February, 1835, the Archduke 
 Palatine closed the parliament, in the name of his 
 sovereign. The journal was seized, and Count 
 Zichy instructed to confiscate the press, and inti- 
 mate the intention of the government to Kossuth, 
 which he did in person. 
 
 Kossuth handed the key of his lodgings to the 
 Count, who, however, declined to accept it, and 
 insisted on Kossuth's delivering up his press him 
 self, which he was eventually compelled to do. 
 Kossuth, far from being deterred by the measures 
 government had adopted, continued to write pam- 
 phlets, which were privately circulated; wherefore, 
 all persons connected with the publication of those 
 revolutionary papers, which tended to disturb the 
 
 M 
 
242 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 public peace, were shortly afterwards tried for 
 high treason, and condemned to three years im- 
 prisonment in Ofen. 
 
 It was in that very prison Kossuth swore hatred 
 and revenge to the imperial house of Habsburg ; 
 and, up to the day that he left Hungary for 
 Turkey, every act of his was a fulfilment of that 
 oath, given with all the animosity of his nature 
 towards a monarchical system. Not that his 
 hatred for Austria dated from that period — no, 
 for it had grown up with him, he had felt it steal 
 on him as a boy, until it took possession of his 
 soul, and eventually furnished him with the 
 energy and enthusiasm so indispensable to his 
 ambitious design, which, being matured in the 
 hotbed of liberty, threatened to ripen before its 
 time had come. But such was his aversion to 
 Austria, that he boasted never to have been in the 
 capital ; and when compelled to go there on one 
 occasion for the transaction of some business, he 
 piqued himself on reaching the Imperial city at 
 night, and leaving it before daybreak, that he 
 might still be able to say he had never seen 
 Vienna. This fact Kossuth mentioned him- 
 self, and it is well known that he only saw 
 
IN HUNGARY. #43 
 
 the capital of Austria on the day of his own 
 grandeur. 
 
 In the year 1837, an amnesty being granted to 
 political offenders by the government, including 
 Kossuth, he was set at liberty; but no sooner 
 had he left the prison-walls behind him, than he 
 became the deadly antagonist of the Austrian 
 Government, and having joined the democratic 
 faction in Hungary, again edited a new journal 
 called " Pesti Hirlap," which afforded him a re- 
 newed opportunity of calumniating the Imperial 
 Government, and may be considered the counterfeit 
 of the book written by the Abbe Sieyes, known 
 under the name of " Qu'est-ce que le Tiers Etat ?" 
 and which acted like magic, when it appeared in 
 France at the end of the last century. Kossuth, 
 quite aware of the efficacy of his journal, esti- 
 mated it to be worth 50,000 bayonets. 
 
 We must now necessarily pass over a lapse of 
 ten years, during which Kossuth was the volcano 
 of Hungary, that we may approach the period 
 when he attracted the attention of Europe, and 
 became the idol of red republicans. In the year 
 1847, he was elected deputy for Pesth ; and the 
 extravagant sums spent by some of the members 
 
 M 2 
 
244 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 of the Batthyany family^ opened the doors of the 
 lower chamber to the bombastic speaker, who was 
 elected a member of the Assemblee Constituante ; 
 and whilst Count Louis Batthyany lent his name 
 and influence to the opposition party, of which 
 he became the duped leader, Kossuth was consti- 
 tuted the speaker, being in fact the engine by 
 which the Hungarian rebellion was directed. And 
 when, in the memorable year 1848, an infuri- 
 ated mob hurled the House of Orleans from the 
 throne of France, because the nobility were power- 
 less, the army at zero, and the people omnipotent, 
 Kossuth was the first to instill into the Hungarians 
 the desire of furnishing a second act to the tra- 
 gedy enacted in the French capital, forgetting 
 that Austria possessed an army far too loyal to 
 remain neutral when the throne was in danger, 
 far too proud of its ancient honour and glory, 
 earned with the blood of their forefathers, to hand 
 down to posterity a tainted fame. 
 
 But Kossuth, carried away by the success which 
 crowned democracy in France, dazzled by ambi- 
 tion, and aware of the combustible elements at 
 his command with which the Austrian empire 
 might be blown up, provided that Pesth proved 
 
IN HUNGARY. 245 
 
 a second Paris, and Hungary a twin brother of 
 France, nursed the delusive droam that on the 
 fragments of /the Austrian monarchy he would 
 erect a mighty Republic, which should shelter 
 under her wing Poland, Italy, and Germany. 
 
 Bright visions of future grandeur passed before 
 him ; in one he was the Washington, in another 
 Lewis the First of Hungary, and so bewildered 
 was he by the incense of flattery offered to him 
 so indiscriminately by the press of foreign nations, 
 which, ignorant of the real state of things in Hun- 
 gary, did not approve from conviction, or a know- 
 ledge of facts, but simply because Kossuth 
 pointed to a splendid picture in the distance, 
 which portrayed Hungary great and powerful 
 under his guidance. 
 
 So lost in admiration were both the exhibitor 
 and the spectators, that none perceived till too 
 late, how the picture turned out to be but a fata 
 morgana which disappeared on their approach, 
 leaving in its stead a devastated country, with 
 the reeking corpses of her mutilated children. 
 Kossuth's love for his country, however, did not 
 permit him to take into consideration the misery 
 and destruction which he created with every day 
 
246 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 from a feeling of the purest patriotism, -perhaps / 
 And thinking only of his own greatness, he by 
 degrees severed the bonds which proved an impe- 
 diment to the object in view. 
 
 Hope, fear, and ambition must alike have influ- 
 enced him on the 3rd of March, when he held 
 forth an inflammatory speech, which, though clad 
 in constitutional forms, yet savoured strongly of 
 republicanism. 
 
 It was a firebrand thrown into the very heart 
 of the empire with a masterly hand, and found a 
 ready echo and steady support with the numerous 
 democratic factions of Austria, the chiefs of which 
 were for the most part foreigners, the refuse of 
 every nation, who, like Kossuth, had nothing to 
 lose, but all to gain. 
 
 This speech breathing republicanism, and 
 sending out its venom against the government, 
 was distributed by Kossuth's agents and read 
 publicly in Vienna in all coffee-houses to thou- 
 sands of eager listeners. Ambition, not love 
 for his country, was the mainspring of his actions. 
 
 Kossuth's motto was " L'Hongrie a. present 
 c'est moi," and calling to aid his talents, he sue • 
 ceeded in deluding his partizans and blinding 
 
TN HUNGARY. 247 
 
 Europe. One nation only he could not deceive, 
 and that was Croatia, where the corrupt seed of 
 democracy fell on barren ground, for their loyalty 
 could not be shaken by Kossuth's glowing speeches 
 or his reign of terror, whilst most of the provinces 
 of the Austrian empire were on the qui vive. 
 
 Before we touch upon the period which shews 
 Kossuth " Minister of the Finances," we must 
 refer to a statement made by the Kossuth faction, 
 that they took no part in the revolution of Vienna. 
 We have already remarked the effect produced 
 by Kossuth's somewhat republican speech on the 
 3rd of March, in the streets of Pesth, let us now 
 read one held forth in the streets of Vienna, after 
 the first revolution of March, for which purpose 
 we translate an extract from a book called " Hun- 
 gary's latest History," by Frey, an admirer of 
 Kossuth, who writes thus : — 
 
 " The news of the revolution had scarcely 
 reached Hungary, when the noble-minded 
 Magyars determined to assist the Viennese in their 
 struggle against tyranny ; and on the 15th of 
 March, several transports of Hungarians arrived 
 in Vienna ; amongst them was Lajos Kossuth, 
 who, borne on the shoulders of four powerful 
 
248 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 Magyars, addressed the inhabitants of Vienna, 
 exhorting them not to rest there, not to be satisfied 
 with the concessions which they had bought with 
 their blood, but to hurry on in the path of revo- 
 lution. 
 
 " Citizens of Vienna," said Kossuth, " do not 
 be too much overjoyed, do not think you have 
 obtained all that is required to make a people free. 
 Cast a glance around, Citizens, and you will see 
 that although the absolute 'power is broken, the 
 tools of that power are still in existence : as yet 
 the haughty and insolent " Bureaucratic" still 
 feasts on the blood of the people ; as yet the aris- 
 tocratic landlord still enriches himself with the 
 sweat of his tenants ; as yet, a dangerous* Solda- 
 teska, grown grey in the service of despotism, 
 stands opposed to the sovereignty of the people — 
 for that body is at all times ready to obey the word 
 of command of his General-in-Chief and officer, 
 bows blindly to the despotic will of his owner, the 
 Emperor, no matter what the tenor of that com- 
 mand may be — Citizens of Vienna, once more I 
 
 * On what Bureau was the Army dependent ? — On that of 
 War ! Who was the Chief of that Department ? — Count Latour ! 
 Therefore that one sentence of Kossuth explains Latour's 
 murder. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 249 
 
 say unto you, be on your guard and do not trust 
 too much to the promises of a member of the 
 Dynasty." 
 
 The Hungarians, says the author of " Hunga- 
 ry's latest History," took advantage of the days 
 of March, at a time when the dynasty was power- 
 less, to demand those concessions boldly, which 
 had long been the secret wish of the opposition 
 party — "Independence." The reader may draw 
 his own conclusion from the above, whether the 
 blood spilt in Vienna in the days of March and 
 October, may be laid at the door of Hungarian 
 agents, or not ! 
 
 On the return of the Hungarian deputation 
 from Vienna to Presburg, the Diet was dissolved, 
 and Count Louis Batthyany appointed to form a 
 new Ministry, which was composed as follows : — 
 Premier — Count Louis Batthyany, the duped 
 
 leader of the opposition party. 
 Foreign Affairs — Prince Esterhazy ; liberal, but 
 
 a stanch Royalist ; retired from the Ministry 
 
 when he found his principles at variance with 
 
 those of the opposition. 
 Justice — F. Deak ; withdrew before the dangerous 
 
 stake was being gambled for. 
 
 m 3 
 
250 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 Minister of the Interior — B. Syemere ; was an 
 intimate friend of Kossuth ; it is therefore un- 
 necessary to comment on his political views. 
 
 War department — Missaros ; was a tolerable sol- 
 dier, but a bad politician. 
 
 Religion — Baron Eotoos ; a talented author ; he 
 also retired when he saw the sinister aspect 
 affairs were taking. 
 
 Commerce — G. Klauzal; was one of the many 
 champions of liberty who sprang up in the year 
 1848. 
 
 Public Works — Count Szecheny ; one of the very 
 few who had the welfare of his country really at 
 heart, with whom patriotism was not a mask, 
 and whose scientific knowledge is well known. 
 He was, to his honour be it said, a political op- 
 ponent of Kossuth's, and subsequently became 
 deranged. 
 
 Minister of Finances — Kossuth ; here we will 
 only say, " It is long before Hungary can re- 
 cover from his system of improving its financial 
 condition, and centuries must pass, ere the nu- 
 merous families who were wealthy before the 
 revolution, and now are beggared, will forget 
 the able Finance Minister, ' Lajos Kossuth.' '" 
 
IN HUNGARY. 251 
 
 His post, as Finance Minister, proved a 
 difficult one. Francis Duschess was his prompter, 
 and at a later period, when Kossuth was elected 
 Governor of Hungary, became his successor. 
 Kossuth is reported to have said in private to his 
 friends, " I know that man will deceive me, but 
 unfortunately, I cannot do without him." The 
 first few months, however, passed quietly enough, 
 for Kossuth still adhered to the legitimate path, 
 and consequently had much to combat with the 
 Left, which, though weak in numbers, was yet 
 difficult to pacify, and the actual strength of the 
 ministry only became known on the memorable 
 11th of July, when Kossuth demanded of the 
 States 200,000 soldiers, and 42 millions of florins, 
 
 His speech on that occasion was masterly, his 
 power against the Left annihilating. Nyary, one 
 of the leaders of the opposition, was the first of 
 his party to recover from the stupor into which 
 Kossuth's unexpected demand had thrown them, 
 and called out, " We grant it." The amendment 
 was carried, though a stormy debate followed. 
 Let us now again give an extract from " Frey's 
 Hungary," which will throw some light on 
 Kossuth's character. 
 
%5'2 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 The Author says : — " Kossuth remained true 
 to his policy ; in one number of his paper, he 
 condemned the re-actionary proceedings of the 
 government, and sought to excite the hatred and 
 hitter feeling of the people against the House of 
 Habsburg : and in another number of his paper 
 he offered the capital of -the -at-all- times loyal 
 Hungary, as a place of refuge for his sovereign. 
 
 In one article, he attacked the Habsburg 
 dynasty, and endeavoured to annihilate it alto- 
 gether ; in another, he seemed to wish to restore 
 it to its ancient grandeur by Hungarian influence, 
 but his chief aim was to bring about the over- 
 throw of the Austrian ministry, and to erect in 
 its stead a democratic one, which would suit his 
 own views, and prove an omnipotent dangerous 
 enemy to the Imperial House. We will now 
 subjoin one of the many of Kossuth's articles, 
 published in the Pesti Hirlap, which says : — 
 
 li 'It is a fact that the Imperial Ministry in 
 Frankfort have issued a command, to the effect 
 that the Imperial troops must wear the German 
 colours, instead of the Austrian ; a fact that the 
 Viennese ministry demands soldiers and money 
 to continue the Italian war, of which we disap- 
 
IN HUNGARY. 253 
 
 prove. I have already expressed myself upon 
 
 the subject, ; the resolution of the house is 
 
 unalterable ; no soldier shall leave Hungary unt i 
 
 peace is restored within our own boundaries, 
 
 unless it be to suppress rebellion directed against 
 
 our crown.' We must now lay down the book 
 
 from which we have taken the extract, and 
 
 reflect upon the last sentence. What could be 
 
 meant by it ? Was the war in Italy not carried 
 
 on against the King of Hungary ? Is the King of 
 
 Hungary, and the Emperor of Austria, not one 
 
 and the same person ? What, then, did Kossuth 
 
 mean ? 
 
 But let us now return to his article ; he goes 
 On: — "'I must add another observation, with 
 an opponent we can only treat as with an enemy ; 
 but so far from considering foreigners enemies, we 
 wish rather to assure our fellow-sufferers of foreign 
 extraction, who at the present moment stand in 
 the field for us, of our sincere acknowledgment 
 of their services. Let the nation, therefore, 
 ratify by a law, that we look upon all those who 
 join the new order of things as brothers, and 
 those who distinguish themselves in our service, 
 we shaU consider it imperative on our honour 
 
S54 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 to reward. With regard to the claim of the 
 Austrian ministry on our financial and war de 
 partments, I say, rather death, than the smallest 
 concession, for since their re-actionary proceed- 
 ings lay open before us, we must seek firmly to 
 establish our independence. 
 
 Again we lay aside the book to ask the impartial 
 reader : was the above the language of a loyal 
 subject ? Was it the language of an upright man, 
 when compared with the subjoined which follows 
 it immediately ? It refers to the deputation sent 
 to Innspruck with a view of inducing the Emperor 
 to take up his residence in Ofen, "because," 
 Kossuth says, " the Emperor could not reign 
 whilst at Innspruck, and Vienna being dependent 
 on Frankfort, our king is only absolute sovereign 
 in Ofen." He continues thus : " With regard to 
 the separation of the Austrian and Hungarian 
 War and Financial Department, we will merely 
 state, that if Austria considers it important that 
 they should be united, the thought were not too 
 singular that Hungary be chosen instead of 
 Austria. 
 
 "Hungary is the greatest of his Majesty's 
 possessions, and the Hungarian crown has also 
 
IN HUNGARY. 255 
 
 privileges ; there is Gallicia, Dalmatia, and we 
 know of a form to re-annex, which would satisfy 
 these nations with regard to their nationality ; 
 perhaps, then, we would even think of treating with 
 Croatia, not on the basis of unity, but even to enter 
 on a compromise. His Majesty would then have 
 two monarchies : one in which he would be abso- 
 lute sovereign, whose central point would be Ofen, 
 the other dependent on Frankfort, and of which 
 Vienna would be the centre. It is therefore the 
 interest of the latter to adhere to the Imperial 
 German unity, but should the wish of the nation 
 not be realized, wiry then there are other means 
 of securing Legitimacy. His Majesty was also in 
 the lifetime of his father crowned second King of 
 Hungary, a case which has occurred often in our 
 history. 
 
 " The Hungarian nation loves that dear Prince 
 Francis Joseph, who is by birth heir-apparent to 
 the throne, the God of the Hungarians grant that 
 our Lord and King may come amidst us, but if 
 that fervent wish be not gratified, may his Majesty, 
 without diminishing his power, may the most serene 
 and illustrious Archduke Francis, with a sacrifice 
 of paternal love, give us a young king in Francis 
 
256 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 Joseph. The Hungarian nation would, like an 
 unconquerable giant, protect him* even against 
 Hell. The future of the House of Austria will 
 then be secured, but the Hungarian must pay 
 homage to their king in Ofen." 
 
 So spoke Kossuth. The author of the book 
 from which we have taken the above, here indulges 
 in remark of his own, which we give as it stands : 
 
 "Verily," he says, "a singular feeling steals 
 over us, when we read that article, and cast a glance 
 towards Hungary, to observe Kossuth's proceeding 
 there. Kossuth, who speaks of the loyalty of the 
 Magyars, of a beloved Prince, Francis Joseph, 
 whom the Hungarian people would willingly see 
 on the throne, because they love and confide in 
 him, now carries on a bloody, annihilating war 
 against that very prince, his present sovereign, 
 whom he proclaimed as excluded from the throne 
 of his forefathers, whose General he also proclaimed 
 a rebel. 
 
 His first article contains a bitterly severe attack 
 on the Austrian ministry, and even on the dynasty : 
 in it he considers, " that Austria is bound to 
 
 * The literal translation of Kossuth's word . 
 
IN HUNGARY. 257 
 
 submit to the Imperial diet at Frankfort, whilst 
 the war in Italy is condemned ; the dynasty is 
 even threatened that another ally shall be called 
 in." He says also, " that it would be preferable 
 to join Jellachich and the Croats, than the oppo- 
 nents of liberty." The second part of this pro- 
 duction is a combination of sentences, which are 
 insignificant in the Hungarian language, whilst in 
 the German, they sound somewhat like coarse 
 flattery, but if we take the sense into considera- 
 tion, we only see in it an invitation, clad in such 
 flowery array as to induce the Emperor or the 
 crown Prince, no matter which, but one of the two 
 on whom the fate of Austria depended, to come to 
 Hungary. 
 
 Therefore, Kossuth would fain have sought to 
 induce the Emperor to repair to Ofen, by laying 
 before him the petty disadvantages which awaited 
 him in his other provinces, whilst he pourtrayed 
 the fidelity and affection with which the Hunga- 
 rians regard their king, in vivid colours. It would 
 be difficult to conjecture what the real thoughts 
 and plans of a man who was born a republican 
 may have been. 
 
258 
 
 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 So much is certain, that Kossuth being well 
 aware that Austria possessed a powerful army, 
 sought to place a hostage in the hands of the 
 nation at any cost. That hostage could only be 
 the Emperor, or the crown Prince. 
 
 ***** 
 ***** 
 
 In the commencement of September, the war- 
 fare of words which threatened to divide the 
 members of the opposition amongst themselves 
 suddenly ceased, more serious matters should be 
 thought of. The Ban of Croatia had completed 
 his armament, the twelve Ablegates, who had been 
 sent to the Diet in Vienna, returned unacknow- 
 ledged to Pesth, and all the Ministers resigned, upon 
 which a Rescript appeared from the Arch-Duke 
 Palatine to the effect that he had taken the reins 
 of Government ad interim. The National Assem- 
 bly, however, declared, that as the Minister's signa- 
 ture was not attached, the Rescript was a breach 
 of form, and authorized Kossuth and Szemery to 
 resume^ their posts. 
 
 It was in this sitting that Kossuth, who had 
 been indisposed latterly, spoke these well known 
 
IN HUNGARY. 259 
 
 words, " The importance of the task requires also a 
 stronger bodily constitution, but I now determine not 
 to be ill." Shortly after wards, the Club of Equality 
 formed a Welfare Committee, which was forbidden 
 on the morning of the 10th by the chief of police. 
 But Paul Hajnik and Kossuth appeared on the 
 balcony of the Redontengebande, from whence he 
 addressed the assembled multitude in an inflam- 
 matory speech. Upon this occasion, Madras placed 
 on his head a hat with a scarlet feather, in the 
 same manner that Pailly, the chief of the new 
 municipality, offered a tricoloured cockade to the 
 unfortunate Louis XVI., on the 17th July, 1789. 
 Kossuth, however, very adroitly refused his friend's 
 offer. On the 12th, Count Louis Batthyany sig- 
 nified to the Lower Chamber that he was en- 
 trusted with the formation of a new ministry, by 
 his Imperial Highness the Arch-Duke Palatine. 
 Upon this declaration, Kossuth left the ministers' 
 bench, and withdrew to the ultra left. 
 
 It was about this time that Kossuth commenced 
 his skilful manoeuvre to seduce the regular troops ; 
 however much the fact may be denied, it was done. 
 The Hungarian grenadiers, the elite of the troops, 
 
260 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 were the first tampered with. Emissaries fol- 
 lowed them into taverns and public-houses, for 
 the purpose of reducing the soldiers to such a 
 state of intoxication as to render them unconscious 
 of the import of the words they stammered 
 after the emissary in stupified drunkenness ; they 
 were the first to break the oath to their sovereign 
 and their country ; and when, on recovering from 
 the effects of their fatal intemperance, they were 
 told that they had already committed a breach of 
 discipline — they forsook their colours. This body 
 of troops afterwards composed the " Hungady- 
 Schar." 
 
 The second attempt was on the Infanterie regi- 
 ment Prussia, who also, in the same state of com- 
 plete intoxication, tore the imperial colours from 
 their uniforms, and swore to the tricolour. Other 
 regiments, misled by this pernicious example, fol- 
 lowed their footsteps, because they were unac- 
 quainted with the means by which their com- 
 rades had been decoyed from the path of duty. 
 Many disgusting scenes could here be related. 
 Bribery and intoxication were not the worst or the 
 most immoral means chosen to seduce the army. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 261 
 
 The revolution in Hungary was to be a miniature 
 of the horrors of the French revolution in the 
 time of Louis XVI : it was the fruits of the legacy 
 left as a curse by Robespierre. 
 
 But what must have been the feelings of the 
 loyal soldier when he heard of the degradation 
 and moral depravity of his comrades ? how sad to 
 think that, while he stood before the enemy in 
 Italy, now exposed to a tropical heat, then again 
 drenched with rain, struggling with hunger and 
 the assassin's dagger, forsaken by all but God, 
 honour, and the veteran General Radetzky, what 
 must then have been his feelings when, after 
 inconceivable misery, after weeks of fatigue and 
 danger, the post brought him the news from home, 
 that the honour of Austria's army was stained 
 by perfidy — that the laurels which he had ga- 
 thered, the very conquests bought by the blood 
 of brothers, fathers, sons, were condemned, and 
 their loyalty mourned over, whilst Sardinia's victo- 
 ries were ever announced with pompous words 
 and joyous smiles, and the fall of his beloved 
 fatherland and the monarchy looked on with tri- 
 umph, or cold indifference ? 
 
 What must have been the agony of those whose 
 
2§2 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 nearest and dearest relations had fallen for the 
 Imperial cause — some in Italy, others in Hungary 
 - — and who saw contempt only was awarded 
 to the loyal, admiration to the traitor, both at 
 home and abroad. But the soldier whose breast 
 was daily exposed to the murderous balls of the 
 enemy, whose only consolation in that hour was 
 glory and the consciousness of doing his duty, 
 thought he had a claim at least to the sympathy 
 of every loyal soldier in Europe who wore the 
 epaulette, no matter what his uniform. Neither 
 he, like the perjured, could have a blessing for 
 Kossuth, when, in their last struggle, they felt 
 that his reckless ambition had dug their graves, 
 and caused them to wish for death, that they 
 might no longer witness the scenes of horror which 
 passed around them — that they might not hear 
 the cries of agony proceeding from their dying 
 comrades, as the eyes of one were being scooped 
 out, whilst others' limbs were cut from the yet 
 quivering body, amidst cries of " Eljiu Kossuth !" 
 And could those misguided men who fought 
 with a courage worthy of a better cause, 
 and yet became guilty of such barbarous acts as 
 those mentioned above, now rise from their bloody 
 
IN HUNGARY. 263 
 
 tombs to judge him, who had conjured up every 
 ensnaring vice to entice them from the path of 
 duty, and with his eloquence instilled that fearful 
 hatred of nationality, which excited them to such 
 savage, demon-like acts — he would have been 
 torn asunder by the very men whose cheers 
 once called a smile to his anxious features. 
 
 From that period, the confusion in Pesth be- 
 came more alarming every day. It was reported 
 that Count Telecki and the officers of the Drau 
 refused to fight against the Croats, whilst Count 
 Louis Batthyany declared on the evening of the 
 16th September, that he had ceased to be Presi- 
 dent of the Council, as the Ban of Croatia had 
 not been ordered to desist from his march against 
 Hungary. Kossuth called the House to a confi- 
 dential meeting on the 20th September : however, 
 the first bloody encounter had already taken place 
 between the Magyars and two Croatian divisions, 
 and Kossuth left Pesth on the 24th September, 
 with the threat, never to return, unless at the 
 head of 150,000 men. 
 
 He possessed the art of creating armies out 
 of the bowels of the earth, by his eloquence; 
 and, on the 27th of September, he returned, 
 
261 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 and with a sword by his side, took his seat 
 in Parliament at the moment that Madras thun- 
 dered a protest against the Imperial decree 
 and against the newly-elected Imperial Commis- 
 sary, Count Lamberg. Kossuth increased the 
 excitement that reigned, and Count Lamberg was 
 prohibited from obeying the orders he had received 
 from his Sovereign. 
 
 Whether Count Lamberg ought to have obeyed 
 the arrogant mandate of a rebellious Parliament, 
 and been a traitor, instead of disregarding their 
 republican orders, seems to have puzzled many, 
 although there could be but one opinion on the 
 subject, for whatever the errors of the Government 
 may have been, Count Lamberg ought not to have 
 fallen a victim to his loyalty. There lay only 
 two paths before the ill-fated nobleman — that of 
 honour, or dishonour — he chose the former, and 
 though he paid for it with his life, it was far 
 better that he died thus, than to have perjured 
 himself. It is not our intention to enter upon the 
 particulars of this fearful deed, or to name the 
 authors, there is one Tribunal before which the 
 bloody shadows of the murdered Counts Lamberg 
 and Latour, as also that of the unfortunate Count 
 
IN HUNGARY. 265 
 
 Zicby, will appear to condemn the murder- 
 ers. 
 
 Suffice it to say, therefore, that it took place on 
 the day following the threatening and inflammatory 
 speeches made by Kossuth and Madaras to an ex- 
 cited multitude. It was on the 28th of September, 
 that Count Lamberg was torn out of the carriage, 
 on his way to <"he Redoutue Gebaude, by a savage 
 people, and a hundred scythes pierced the ill- 
 fated Count, whose mutilated body was carried in 
 triumph to the Palace of the Invalids, where a 
 bloodthirsty mob brutally wrangled with each 
 other for a piece of the blood-stained shirt. 
 
 We have said sufficient to prove the power of 
 Kossuth, and to show that eloquence, when mis- 
 applied, may prove a curse instead of a blessing. 
 Kossuth, with his vaunted knowledge of his 
 countrymen, ought to have known that there 
 were limits to be observed, human laws to be 
 respected. On the 9th of October, Kossuth 
 proclaimed the country saved — "Hungary," he 
 said, "was awakened; the lion had only slum- 
 bered." 
 
 Are we to presume, from the above words, that 
 the first aristocratic blood which flowed in the 
 
266 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 streets of Pesth caused the lion to thirst for more. 
 The royal proclamation of the 3rd, dissolving the 
 Diet, threw the house into the greatest state of 
 excitement ; and the parliament, carried away by 
 Kossuth's violent speech, formed the resolution of 
 disobeying the command of the King. To the 
 shame of that assembly, be it said, that none rose 
 to defend the rights of the anointed sovereign. 
 On the 8th of October, Kossuth was proposed by 
 Zako as President of Hungary; and from that 
 moment no Hungarian king reigned with such 
 unlimited power as the former editor of the 
 " Peste Hirlap," for Kossuth well understood the 
 nature and disposition of the Hungarian people. 
 His vaunted eloquence has at different times been 
 strongly questioned ; his language does not contain 
 sufficient depth of thought, and partakes too much 
 of the bombastic style of the Eist. At the 
 same time, it may not be denied that he was a man 
 of great talent, and ever succeeded in making a 
 deep impression on his audience, as the following 
 proves. 
 
 On the 18th of October, previously to Kossuth's 
 embarking for Presburg, he passed in review the 
 Pesth battalion of National Guards, who were 
 
IN HUNGARY. 267 
 
 to be his escort. When he appeared, his insigni- 
 ficant figure and plain uniform offered a striking 
 contrast to the handsome and well-built Guido 
 Karaesongi, who commanded the battalion, and 
 the assembled multitude were disappointed; but, 
 from the moment Kossuth opened his lips, he 
 seemed to grow taller and statelier with every 
 word he uttered. On that occasion, he made a 
 speech, bearing some resemblance to the words 
 Napoleon spoke to Count Kobenzl, when he 
 dashed a vase to the ground, which he compared 
 to Austria, as it lay in fragments at his feet. 
 
 Soon afterwards, towards the end of October, 
 Prince Windichgraetz stood before Vienna, and 
 Kossuth ostentatiously sent a parlamentaire from 
 Pahrendorf (his head-quarters at that time), to 
 protest against that General's taking Vienna by 
 storm; but his Highness very properly replied, 
 " I do not treat with rebels." 
 
 Then followed the invasion of the Hungarians 
 at Schwechat, where it is well known that the 
 scythemen of Comorn left the field in a most dis- 
 graceful manner, calling out, " The hussars are in 
 full flight," in consequence of which the entire 
 Hungarian army fled in the greatest disorder. 
 
 N 2 
 
268 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 But Kossuth's eloquence was like as many 
 bayonets, and he therefore succeeded in trans- 
 forming the retreat into half a conquest. The 
 invasion of these faithless troops and savage hordes 
 into Austria was a sufficient aggression in itself 
 to warrant the Imperial troops entering Hungary, 
 and seems to us a far more outrageous violation 
 of loyalty on the part of the Kossuth faction, 
 than the alleged transgression of the Emperor of 
 Austria, in calling to his aid a faithful ally to 
 subdue a rebellious province, which threatened to 
 endanger the peace of the empire. 
 
 We cannot here avoid making a comment on 
 the ludicrous document ostentatiously called " De- 
 claration Relative to the Separation of Hungary 
 from Austria," according to which " a lawful 
 sovereign had filled up the measure of his crimes" 
 when he called in the assistance of an ally to 
 crush in its birth a rebellion of which the leaders 
 were unprincipled men, who may justly be styled 
 the " vampyres of Hungary." But if that be so, 
 what then were the crimes of the subject who 
 aspired to sovereign power, who invoked the aid of 
 the outcasts of all nations, and the depraved, with 
 which Vienna, like every other great city, abounds. 
 
IN HUNGARY. 
 
 If the Emperor of Austria was to be excluded 
 from the throne of his forefathers, and declared 
 to be deposed, degraded, and banished for ever from 
 the Hungarian territory, because he would not 
 permit that the provinces of Croatia, Transylvania, 
 and the Banat, conquered by Austria from the 
 Turks, should be compelled, in spite of their reluc- 
 tance, into closer union with a faction whose 
 tyrannical decrees were indignantly repelled by 
 Croatia — what should have been the fate of the 
 rebel who ruined the finances of his country, 
 paralyzed its industry, and endeavoured to corrupt 
 the army ? 
 
 If it was unjustifiable in the Austrian Govern- 
 ment to avail itself of the law established and 
 recognised as just in all Europe, of visiting 
 with capital punishment the crime of high treason, 
 we would wish to know by what right a self- 
 erected rebellious government executed Count 
 Zichy, whose only crime consisted in being a 
 loyal subject. If, again, it was unjustifiable 
 on the part of the Austrian Government to 
 threaten with the gallows those who took up 
 arms against their anointed sovereign, we would 
 also know by virtue of which law the rebel- 
 
270 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 lious government of Debreczin issued the fol- 
 lowing : 
 
 " We also hereby proclaim and make known 
 to all the inhabitants of the United States of 
 Hungary, Transylvania, and their dependencies, 
 that all authorities, communes, towns, and the 
 civil officers both in the counties and cities are 
 completely set free, and released from all the 
 obligations under which they stood by oath or 
 otherwise, to the said House of Habsburg-Lor- 
 raine." 
 
 Let us pause. So far this worthy article encou- 
 rages to rebellion all those who feel inclined ; the 
 conclusion, which we are about to subjoin, sounds 
 like a fierce and despotic threat to all who would 
 dare to remain loyal. It says : 
 
 " And that any individual daring to contravene 
 this decree, and by word or deed in any way to 
 aid or abet any one violating it, shall be treated 
 and punished as guilty of high treason. And by 
 the publication of this decree, we hereby bind 
 and oblige all the inhabitants of these countries 
 to obedience to the government now institu- 
 ted formally, and endowed with all necessary 
 legal powers." 
 
IN. HUNGARY. 271 
 
 Debreczin, April 14th, is the date of this me- 
 morable document. How justify it ! How por- 
 tray the disgust and indignation so much tyranny 
 awakened in the breast of the loyal, over whose 
 head was suspended the rope, unless he perjured 
 himself, like the Liberator of Hungary, who, in 
 his magnanignous love of liberty, exercised a reign 
 of terror over eleven millions of souls ! 
 
 There was no striking event in November. In 
 December, the abdication of the Emperor Fer- 
 dinand and the accession of his nephew became 
 public, which caused Kossuth no slight embarrass- 
 ment, for he had hitherto made the Hungarian 
 people, who were stanch Royalists, believe that 
 he was fighting against the Emperor Ferdinand in 
 favour of the beloved Prince Francis Joseph ; but 
 not prepared for this unexpected occurrence, his 
 position became critical, having now a doubly 
 difficult game to play ; for although the publica 
 tion of the Royal proclamations was suppressed by 
 his orders, they yet met the eyes of the people 
 occasionally. 
 
 Gorgey's feeble corps was compelled to clear 
 one position after the other ; and all the bulletins 
 proclaiming conquest instead of the real defeats, 
 
272 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 which the Hungarian army sustained, could no 
 longer beguile. The people demanded certain 
 news of a battle. Kossuth, anxious to please 
 them, is known to have written a letter to Pero- 
 zel, in which he says : — " My dear Maurice, only 
 a sign, be it ever so small, of a victory, but the 
 constant retreat of our army damps the courage 
 of the nation." 
 
 Gorgey also received a similar letter; and 
 shortly after Kossuth said to a friend, who 
 lamented the constant retreating of the army : 
 
 " But do you not see that we invariably beat 
 the Austrians, and then retire ?" 
 
 " I would rather," replied the friend, " that 
 we were beaten everywhere, and then advanced." 
 
 When Kossuth formed a new ministry in De- 
 cember, he divided the Portefeuielles amongst 
 Count Casimir Batthyani, Messaros, Nyari, 
 Madaras, Pulzsky, and Szemere, with the excep- 
 tion of that of the finances, which he reserved 
 for himself ; but this council of ministers did not 
 bear the title of Ministers, and were undecided 
 and intimidated, excepting Kossuth, who still 
 hoped to succeed, since, in the event of Austria 
 creating a new Vendee in Croatia, Hungary was 
 
IN HUNGARY. 273 
 
 to be a second Spain, and an annihilating, un- 
 equalled war to break out. 
 
 On the 22nd of December, Kossuth sent a glow- 
 ing proclamation to the Hungarian people, which 
 was a masterpiece of his pen, and proved a 
 good bait for a Guerilla war. Thus came the 
 Sylvester-day. The Ban of Croatia had paid the 
 debt of General Roth to Perczel at Ozora, and 
 the Diet, panic-stricken, would not listen to Ma- 
 daras, who vainly exclaimed, " Courage ! Ra- 
 ther let us be buried under the ruins of Pesth, 
 than run away before a shot is even fired." But, 
 on the 31st December, Kossuth's motion to with- 
 draw to a place of safety was accepted, and the 
 Diet retired to Debreczin. 
 
 What may have been Kossuth's feelings, when 
 towards the end of 1848, just before the first flight 
 of the Diet to Debreczin, he watched the packed 
 waggons, which were rolling rapidly over the 
 bridge, one after the other, with much anxiety, 
 and paced the right bank of the Danube with an 
 agitated countenance, pushing the people, who 
 pressed round him with disagreeable curiosity, 
 rudely from him. This unpopular act on his part 
 must be attributed to the many strange and angry 
 
 N S 
 
274 
 
 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 glances that were cast upon him, wherefore he 
 could not be quite a son aise, for the general feel- 
 ing in Pesth not being in his favour, more than one 
 of the bourgeoisie said, in his hearing, the chilling 
 words, " If he had not the means to carry on a 
 war, he should not have commenced one." 
 
 Did Kossuth at that moment possess the noble, 
 undaunted courage of Louis XVI., when, on the 
 20th of January, 1792, a man of the people was 
 about to run a pike through the unhappy sove- 
 reign, and a grenadier advanced, saying, " Sire, 
 do not be afraid." " I afraid ! " replied the 
 monarch, " lay your hand here, and say, does my 
 heart beat quicker ? " We doubt whether Kos- 
 suth could have answered thus on that occasion. 
 
 The Junta did not consider itself secure, even 
 in Debreczin, and Nyari, Minister of the Interior, 
 often acknowledged, on his return in June, that 
 the Assemblee Constituante was ready to cut and 
 run at a moment's notice, if Count Schlick should 
 approach ; nor did they recover breath till after 
 Klapka's siege at Tarczal. 
 
 In the meantime, Kossuth transformed Hun- 
 gary into a vast camp. Dembinski and the Polish 
 propaganda were called in, powder-mills erected, 
 
IN HUNGARY. 215 
 
 the best siege guns procured, and spies and emis- 
 saries set on foot. The Diet did not trouble 
 Kossuth much ; for a certain number of the 
 ablegates obeyed him from habit, others from ne- 
 cessity, because their retreat was cut off by the 
 resolution passed on the 7th of October, sothat it 
 soon became a tricolor assemblee, and many reso- 
 lutions passed by the House were privately 
 clipped to the taste of Kossuth, who followed the 
 method of former times, when private marks on the 
 dispatches to foreign powers signified to the am- 
 bassador that the reverse of that which the dis- 
 patch contained was to be done. 
 
 But the generals had serious differences, some 
 of which proved humiliating to the dignity of a 
 Governor ; for instance, on one occasion that 
 Kossuth repaired to Tissa Tured, with the inten- 
 tion of calling Gorgey to account for not having 
 obeyed Dembinski's ludicrous order at the battle 
 of Kapolna, he found the Polish General in arrest, 
 and Kossuth's escort was somewhat maltreated 
 by the military men, who called them " Room- 
 keepers;" nor did he dare call Gorgey to ac- 
 count, or take Dembinski's part. In fact, Kossuth 
 was not liked by the military, because they say 
 
276 
 
 The campaign 
 
 " he only takes, lie cannot stand fire." Another 
 t ime J Kossuth addressed the militia-bataillon, the 
 elite of the Honveds, in Hungarian. But as they 
 happened to be almost all Germans, being a 
 foreign legion, a private advanced out of the 
 ranks, and said, " Please, my lord governor, tell 
 us those pretty things in German — we do not un- 
 derstand Hungarian." 
 
 On the 7th of April, Kossuth issued the cele- 
 brated and vehement Manifesto, which was circu- 
 lated under the name of "Kossuth's Voice of 
 Godollo," and evidently written whilst he felt 
 himself excited by the intoxicating delight of his 
 siege, although the style was anything but che- 
 valresque. One week later, on the 14th of April, 
 Kossuth brought a report of the events of the war 
 before Parliament, which he ended by saying, that 
 the time was now come for Hungary to shake off 
 the fetters rivetted on the people by the hereditary 
 treaty for 300 centuries. 
 
 This address of Kossuth, demanding nothing 
 less than the virtual separation of Hungary from 
 the crown of Austria, was received with loud 
 acclamations by the democrats, and passed the 
 other chambers, to its eternal shame be it re- 
 
IN HUNGARY. 277 
 
 corded, without a division ; and thus the inde- 
 pendence of Hungary was proclaimed as a second 
 edition to the French Revolution in 1848. 
 
 One month later, on the 14th of May, a meeting 
 was held in the Protestant church of Debreczin, 
 where the governor and his ministers were to take 
 the oath to the Republic. From an early hour in 
 the morning an immense multitude crowded to 
 the house of God, each wishing to be the first to 
 hear and see an act so memorable, and it was with 
 extreme difficulty that Kossuth and his suite could 
 reach the church. 
 
 The governor, surrounded by his ministers, 
 entered amidst deafening cries of "Eljiu," and 
 took his place near the tribune, from which Paul 
 Almasy, after a few words, spoke the oath, which 
 Kossuth repeated. It ran as follows : — 
 
 " I, Louis Kossuth, elected Governor of Hun- 
 gary by the National Assembly, swear to uphold 
 the independence of the nation in all its conse- 
 quences, as well as obedience to the laws and re- 
 solutions of the National Assembly, so God helps 
 me." Upon this Kossuth held forth a vigorous, 
 but short speech, which he concluded with the 
 words, " Gentlemen, according to the command 
 
278 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 of the nation, I call upon you to take the oath, 
 which the notary of the National Assembly will 
 administer to you." 
 
 Bartholomaus, Szemere, Count Cassimir Bat- 
 thyany, Sabbas Bukovics, Bishop Michael How- 
 ath, Francis Duschek, all swore to the new-born 
 republic of Hungary, destined to die in its birth. 
 
 The 14th of April may have been Kossuth's 
 proudest day, but the 5th of June was beyond doubt 
 his most brilliant. Five months after the return 
 of the Imperial troops into Hungary, the governor 
 returned from Debreczin to Pesth. In Szolnok, 
 Kossuth and his family entered the magnificent 
 waggon, which hitherto had only been placed at 
 the disposition of the Imperial family. He arrived 
 in Pesth at six o'clock in the evening. General 
 Schweidel received him at the station, and the 
 brilliant cortege proceeded to the town. First 
 came a detachment of cavalry, then followed the 
 staff officers of the Hungarian army with a nume- 
 rous suite. Kossuth drove in a carriage and four be- 
 longing to Count George Karolyi, surrounded by an 
 escort of the German legion ; with head uncovered, 
 dressed in the plain Honved uniform, he looked 
 proudly around. Beside him sat his wife, who is 
 
IN HUNGARY. 279 
 
 known to have said, " Perhaps, Lajos will one 
 day bring me a crown quite unexpectedly." The 
 other occupants of the carriage were his sister and 
 his aid-de-camp. An immense line of carriages 
 followed the cortege, which at last reached Kos- 
 suth's house, amidst deafening cheers of " Eljiu," 
 throwing of flowers and wreaths, to say nothing 
 of the tricolor flags that were waved by some few. 
 
 It was not good policy on the part of Kossuth 
 that he accepted the illuminations, which the town 
 authorities were compelled to offer, nor prudent 
 that the mob was permitted to break the windows 
 of the loyal citizens, for the pompous feat ended 
 in a plebeian row. 
 
 Even at that period already the intervention 
 of Russia was whispered about, and the Ministers 
 sought in vain to appease the general panic. 
 That death-defying courage existed no longer : it 
 had fled with the first intoxicating moment, and 
 Kossuth in despair repaired to Grosswardein to 
 hold a secret conference with Bern. Perfectly 
 well aware that extraordinary means could alone 
 revive the faith and heroism which were disappear- 
 ing rapidly as the different intrigues of the pro 
 vincial government were detected, Kossuth 
 
£80 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 ordered B. Mauksch, the editor of the Pesth paper, 
 to announce in large letters the armed intervention 
 of France ; the announcement ran as follows : 
 "Authentic' — 8 o'clock, p.m., France has declared 
 war against Austria." 
 
 On the 9th of July, the Junta fled a second 
 time to Szegedin : a month later, she had ceased 
 to exist. In Szegedin, Kossuth tried his game 
 once more, and surrounded by his ministers, he 
 made a speech, exciting the people to a crusade 
 against the Russians, at the end of which, the 
 Burgomaster is said to have replied : " We 
 shall all fight to the last man, and give our best 
 heart's blood, since you, my Lord Governor, 
 and the brave Ministers have determined to lead 
 us on in person." This was a bitter taunt for one 
 who evinced some aversion for cannon-balls, and 
 two hours later Kossuth had gone to Arad, where 
 his sun set. Gorgey, at the head of 20,000 men, 
 expressed his conviction that further resistance 
 was useless. 
 
 Gorgey spoke not much, but he became so 
 politely pressing, there was no refusing, and so 
 little did Kossuth trust him, that he sent Gorgey 
 a written order, not to assume the reins of dicta- 
 
IN HUNGARY. 281 
 
 torship, till 8 o'clock in the evening, whereas he 
 left Hungary early in the day. 
 
 It is also a fact that Kossuth gave his private 
 secretary, Stuller, a document which it took him 
 many hours to translate, and when Sluller, accord- 
 ing to the orders he had received, hurried to 
 Kossuth, he found that he had fled from Hun- 
 gary. 
 
 On the 22nd of August, Kossuth and most 
 of those compromised, embarked at Kalafat. 
 
 Kossuth, pale as death, stepped on the strand, 
 supported by two Turkish officers, and embarked 
 in a little boat. What must have been his 
 feelings when he passed the Imperial colours 
 waving to and fro from the masts of the Aus- 
 trian ships ! 
 
 Kossuth is by no means the handsome man 
 his partizans represent him to be ; he is of 
 middle stature, his figure is insignificant, his 
 blue eyes sparkle with intellect, although his 
 features have almost a painful expression ; his 
 hair was brown, but, being bald, he now wears 
 a wig of that colour. 
 
 Let us lay aside partiality ; let us reason 
 neither as an Austrian nor as an Hungarian. 
 
282 THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 Let us reason impartially, but with justice. 
 What are Kossuth's merits ? What has he done 
 for Hungary ? Has he proved the benefactor 
 of his country ? No ; a thousand times, no ! 
 Let it be proved how and in what way he bene- 
 fited unhappy Hungary. Go to Hungary, and 
 cast a glance around to view the consequences 
 of Kossuth's policy, which raised an invincible 
 barrier between the Sclavonian and the Magyar 
 race, that it will take centuries to remove, for 
 where peace and unity formerly existed, now 
 reigns discord. 
 
 Proceed to the Banat, and ask the old Rascian who 
 gazes with a tearful eye on his devastated country 
 — ask him whether he has a blessing for Kossuth, 
 who made a desert of that paradise, and his eye 
 will sparkle with indignation and bitter hatred at 
 the mention of his name. Go to Transylvania, and 
 ask the W allachians how they would receive Kossuth, 
 and they will point to their swords, with the cry, 
 " Death to Kossuth !" Repair to Croatia, pro- 
 nounce only his name, and the nation will rise 
 as one man to curse the hour in which he 
 was born. Hurry dn to the Drau, and the 
 Kulpa, and you will find that the cry of " Szivio 
 
IN HUNGARY. 283 
 
 Jellachich," " Szivio Mother Slava!" is the parole 
 of the borderer. 
 
 The fearful hatred of nationality has been 
 awakened in the heart of the Sclavonian, as in 
 that of the Hungarian. Mistrust replaces confi- 
 dence ; and even the quiet German, who has 
 doffed the Hungarian costume, asks himself now 
 whether he does not look ridiculous. Such are 
 the fruits of Magyarization. Whose foot has 
 trodden on Hungary's fertile ground, and blighted 
 it? Kossuth's. Whose machinations and in- 
 trigues deluged that country with blood, and 
 made it one vast desert ? Kossuth's. Whose 
 name was the watchword for murder, rapine, and 
 plunder ? Kossuth's. Whose eloquence excited 
 brother against brother — father against son ? 
 Kossuth's. Who carried fire and sword into 
 Hungary ] Kossuth. 
 
 Facts speak for themselves; therefore let his 
 admirers go to Hungary, and ask the sorrowing 
 widow, the fatherless child, the ruined peasant, 
 the bankrupt tradesman, whether in their hearts 
 still exists sympathy for the author of their 
 misery, who urged them on to slaughter by false 
 pretences. Ask the duped people of Hungary, 
 
284- THE CAMPAIGN 
 
 who, deluded by falsehood and misrepresentations, 
 and blinded with intoxication, rushed madly on 
 to follow Kossuth's call, to the ruin of Hun- 
 gary and themselves — ask them whether they 
 do not abhor the author of their misery. Ask 
 the prisoner in his cell, whether he curses not 
 Kossuth every hour of the day. Ask the 
 dishonoured maiden, the wife of the husband 
 slaughtered before her eyes, the daughter of 
 the aged father, whose last cry of agony she 
 will remember to the end of her days — whether 
 they do not, one and all, call down the vengeance 
 of heaven on Kossuth, with a tearless eye and 
 scorched heart, every day of their lives. 
 
 Ask the nobility of Hungary, too, whether 
 they sympathize with the man who has brought 
 every misfortune on that dear and beautiful land. 
 Where, then, are the fruits of his patriotism ? 
 There are none, because the seed was corrupt. 
 We know of no act during Kossuth's short reign 
 which would entitle him to the gratitude of his 
 country, or the respect and admiration of honest 
 men. We only know that, during his reign, 
 bloodshed, assassination, and plunder were the 
 order of the day — and the ruin of Hungary, 
 
IN HUNGARY. 285 
 
 which still bleeds from a thousand wounds — 
 and that he and his party overthrew the con- 
 stitution granted by the monarch to the Aus- 
 trian Empire, and plunged Hungary into the 
 horrors and crimes of a civil war, by a policy as 
 despicable as it was desperate, and fictions as base 
 as they were gross. 
 
 Of Kossuth it may be said, that he was a good 
 actor, clever and ambitious, but a reckless gam- 
 bler, who sacrificed the welfare of a nation without 
 a scruple of conscience, and a shortsighted diplo- 
 matist, to have overlooked Russia on the map of 
 Europe. 
 
 AN AUSTKIAN. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 MYERS and Co., Printers, 37, King-street, Covent Garden.