Will reply to AU stuff separately, but the Amalie letters have produced more quotes re: Fritz and SD, as well as Fritz. & siblings, so I will share them here:
Considering Amalie was the sibling who sort of lived with or near Fritz at least part of the time in the later decades, I wasn‘t surprised that there aren‘t many letters preserved (or at least available, not necessarily the same thing), but what there is does allow us a glimpse at Fritz and his younger siblings (plural, because there are repeated comments on Heinrich, not to mention that Amalie witnessed AW‘s death), especially the 7 Years War letters. First, there‘s a shared one to Amalie and Charlotte at the same time, from very early in the war, Fritz is about to take Prague: My dear sisters, I received your letters in the most violent crisis, which prevented me from answering you earlier. I am writing to both of you, not having time to write more than one letter. We have now sketched the work here; it will take a few more knocking shots to complete it. My brother Heinrich has done wonders, and has distinguished himself beyond what I can say; my two other brothers were not at all in the battle; they found themselves in Marshal Keith's army. We have lost the worthy Marshal Schwerin and many brave officers. I have lost friends whom I will mourn all my life; finally, my dear sisters, if happiness favors us now, we will succeed. All the generality, and, according to the say of the deserters, sixty thousand men are confined in Prague; I undertake to induce them to make themselves prisoners of war. It's a terrible business; it takes luck to succeed. My dear Lottine, Duchess of Braunschweig, and you, my dear sister the Abbess, I embrace you both with all my heart. Here is a letter for our dear mother.
If the year 1758 was awful for Fritz, it was terrible to Amalie, too, who was witness to two of the family deaths, SD and AW both. We know from Lehndorff‘s diary about the arguments with her mother in the weeks before SD‘s death (no food for Amalie from SD‘s kitchen anymore, etc.), but we also know that in the days immediately before the death they‘d reconciled and Amalie was at her mother‘s side when SD died. Her letters to Fritz on this of course do not mention the earlier arguments. Here‘s what she writes and what he replies:
My dearest brother, I find myself again in the sad situation of increasing your worries. The Queen's weakness always gets worse; she has a little fever every evening; last night, her mind began to wonder, and she didn't stop talking until the morning. I have already had the honor of telling you about the swelling of her legs; the body also begins to grow, and even much, which makes me fear it is dropsy. Her strength diminishes, so to speak, visibly, and the whole state of her health threatens ruin. We can no longer flatter ourselves, my dear brother, that it is possible to keep her with us. Prepare, please, for this awful blow; it will come sooner than we think; it is an inevitable misfortune, which is advancing with great strides. I tried to delude myself for a long time; but now I have lost all hope, and all those who see and surround her are in the same case. I am in despair, my dear brother, to write you such news; my heart is heavy, but I am forced to. Deign to continue honoring me with your memory, this is the only consolation that remains to me, and be persuaded of the most submissive attachment and respect with which I will not cease to be, my very dear brother, etc.
My dearest brother, I am in despair to write to you that we no longer have a mother. The Queen’s life has just expired. Yesterday evening, feeling very weak, she ordered me to thank you for all the friendship you had shown her; that she would die grateful, and that she would take her tenderness for you to the grave. She also said to me that she hoped that you would be true to this friendship with her beyond her death, by taking care of her court and her servants; that she would die with this confidence that you would not abandon them. I was obliged to promise her that I would write it to you immediately. I can't tell you more; seized and altered as I am, it is almost impossible for me to hold the pen. I will write all the circumstances tomorrow, and commend myself to the honor of your gracious protection, my very dear brother, etc.
My dear sister, All misfortunes overwhelm me at the same time. O my dear mother! O good God, I will no longer have the consolation of seeing you! O God, O God, what a fatality for me! I'm more dead than alive. I received a letter from the reigning queen, which tells me all this. Perhaps heaven has taken away our dear mother so that she does not see the misfortunes of our house. My dear sister, I am unable to tell you more. I kiss you with all my heart.
Mildred, the „letter from the reigning queen“ was EC‘s letter not marked as a mourning letter, right?
Now, the Ziebura biographies mention that Amalie wrote to Fritz about AW‘s death, the second family death she attended within the space of months, but there are in fact two letters at Trier, one written immediately after the event itself and one somewhat later. The replies from Fritz aren‘t there.
My dearest brother, my brother is no longer living; death, a dreadful death has just taken him away from us. A suffocative catarrh ripped him from this world. I cry for a brother, I grieve for a friend. Death was most painful. I did not leave him until the last moment. That is all I can tell you in such a cruel and sensitive moment. I have the honor to be, my very dear brother, etc.
My dearest brother, It seems that nothing interests as much as knowing the last circumstances of the life of a person whom one has loved dearly, and of whom one bitterly mourns the loss. This is why, my dear brother, I have already had the honor to warn you in one of my letters about the details that you ask me for. But to show you my obedience, I will tell you again. Twenty-three hours of suffering killed my brother. He retained all his presence of mind; he only lost feeling about half an hour before his death. At the height of his anxieties, ready to suffocate at any moment, he made no complaint; his soul was calm in the midst of his pains; resigned to the will of the Supreme Being, he invoked this God who alone could help him. The minister, having made the prayer, asked him several questions to which, not being able to speak any more, he replied with signs and frightful groans which I hope demonstrated the interior satisfaction which he felt from the consolations he had just heard. Finally, this brother in whose place I would have liked to die died. Cruel separation! I was there, I saw it, and I lost him forever. Shortly before he fell ill again, he ordered that he wanted his body to be opened, which was done the next day; the doctors gave me in writing the reasons they suppose to be the cause of his death. This is the paper that I have the honor to send you. I plan to leave for Schwedt tomorrow, to see my sister, to mourn my misfortunes, and to beg Heaven to stop its anger. Yes, we all invoke it for the preservation of your days; live, be happy, my dear brother, do not give in too much to your affliction, think of your health, and be persuaded of the tender attachment with which I have the honor to be, my very dear brother, etc.
As I said, the direct replies from Fritz aren‘t there, but some later letters, including one from September that refers to the day visit he thanked Heinrich for in the Heinrich correspondance:
I begin to calm down; it is not yet a rest assured, but I am in the situation of the sea after a strong storm: the waves are still moved, although the great movements have subsided. I found my brother Heinrich very well; I did not speak of any unfortunate matter. You understand me. The wound is too new for the pain to be aroused by touching it. We beat here a certain Loudon, who fancies himself a Fabius Maximus, who, to well deserve this title, let himself be beat without this bothering him. Here, you would say, a great feat! What do you want, my dear sister? it is a farce after the tragedy. I can only speak to you about events. We take care of it all day long, and things that strike the senses leave more impression on them than reflections. I'm afraid I have already bored you too much. Deign to forgive me, and may the friendship which you show me make you bear my ramblings in favor of the feelings and tenderness with which I am, my very dear sister, etc
No letter post Wilhelmine‘s death, but that may be because he actually ordered Amalie to him post Hochkirch & Wilhelmine as we know from Lehndorff. Lastly, there‘s a 1759 letter:
My dear sister, Your letter served me as a tonic to strengthen myself against the dangers that surround me. I'm sorry to know you have a fever. I flatter myself that it will only be a slight attack of a temporary illness, which will strengthen your health. Tomorrow we cross the Elbe and march for Görlitz, where we will be on the 8th, to be the 13th in order to confront Loudon, in Silesia. Heaven grant that this much-desired peace will come, even if it is only in the middle of summer! Maybe this month I will hear from you again. If the Russians get involved, our correspondence will be intercepted from the beginning of July. God be conducive to us! I took leave of my brother Heinrich; he accomplishes deeds above and beyond. I can say that I really love him, and that I am grateful to him for his good will. I rely on him. He has spirit and ability, two things very rare to find, and much sought after in present times. Farewell, my angel; forgive me if I don't write you longer; but I am tired, and I have a huge task to accomplish. Kindly receive assurances of the tenderness with which I am, my dear sister, etc.
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Re: The Heinrich Letters - War Time
Date: 2020-01-13 03:33 am (UTC)Considering Amalie was the sibling who sort of lived with or near Fritz at least part of the time in the later decades, I wasn‘t surprised that there aren‘t many letters preserved (or at least available, not necessarily the same thing), but what there is does allow us a glimpse at Fritz and his younger siblings (plural, because there are repeated comments on Heinrich, not to mention that Amalie witnessed AW‘s death), especially the 7 Years War letters. First, there‘s a shared one to Amalie and Charlotte at the same time, from very early in the war, Fritz is about to take Prague:
My dear sisters,
I received your letters in the most violent crisis, which prevented me from answering you earlier. I am writing to both of you, not having time to write more than one letter. We have now sketched the work here; it will take a few more knocking shots to complete it. My brother Heinrich has done wonders, and has distinguished himself beyond what I can say; my two other brothers were not at all in the battle; they found themselves in Marshal Keith's army. We have lost the worthy Marshal Schwerin and many brave officers. I have lost friends whom I will mourn all my life; finally, my dear sisters, if happiness favors us now, we will succeed. All the generality, and, according to the say of the deserters, sixty thousand men are confined in Prague; I undertake to induce them to make themselves prisoners of war. It's a terrible business; it takes luck to succeed. My dear Lottine, Duchess of Braunschweig, and you, my dear sister the Abbess, I embrace you both with all my heart.
Here is a letter for our dear mother.
If the year 1758 was awful for Fritz, it was terrible to Amalie, too, who was witness to two of the family deaths, SD and AW both. We know from Lehndorff‘s diary about the arguments with her mother in the weeks before SD‘s death (no food for Amalie from SD‘s kitchen anymore, etc.), but we also know that in the days immediately before the death they‘d reconciled and Amalie was at her mother‘s side when SD died. Her letters to Fritz on this of course do not mention the earlier arguments. Here‘s what she writes and what he replies:
My dearest brother,
I find myself again in the sad situation of increasing your worries. The Queen's weakness always gets worse; she has a little fever every evening; last night, her mind began to wonder, and she didn't stop talking until the morning. I have already had the honor of telling you about the swelling of her legs; the body also begins to grow, and even much, which makes me fear it is dropsy. Her strength diminishes, so to speak, visibly, and the whole state of her health threatens ruin. We can no longer flatter ourselves, my dear brother, that it is possible to keep her with us. Prepare, please, for this awful blow; it will come sooner than we think; it is an inevitable misfortune, which is advancing with great strides. I tried to delude myself for a long time; but now I have lost all hope, and all those who see and surround her are in the same case. I am in despair, my dear brother, to write you such news; my heart is heavy, but I am forced to. Deign to continue honoring me with your memory, this is the only consolation that remains to me, and be persuaded of the most submissive attachment and respect with which I will not cease to be, my very dear brother, etc.
My dearest brother,
I am in despair to write to you that we no longer have a mother. The Queen’s life has just expired. Yesterday evening, feeling very weak, she ordered me to thank you for all the friendship you had shown her; that she would die grateful, and that she would take her tenderness for you to the grave. She also said to me that she hoped that you would be true to this friendship with her beyond her death, by taking care of her court and her servants; that she would die with this confidence that you would not abandon them. I was obliged to promise her that I would write it to you immediately. I can't tell you more; seized and altered as I am, it is almost impossible for me to hold the pen. I will write all the circumstances tomorrow, and commend myself to the honor of your gracious protection, my very dear brother, etc.
My dear sister,
All misfortunes overwhelm me at the same time. O my dear mother! O good God, I will no longer have the consolation of seeing you! O God, O God, what a fatality for me! I'm more dead than alive. I received a letter from the reigning queen, which tells me all this. Perhaps heaven has taken away our dear mother so that she does not see the misfortunes of our house. My dear sister, I am unable to tell you more.
I kiss you with all my heart.
Mildred, the „letter from the reigning queen“ was EC‘s letter not marked as a mourning letter, right?
Now, the Ziebura biographies mention that Amalie wrote to Fritz about AW‘s death, the second family death she attended within the space of months, but there are in fact two letters at Trier, one written immediately after the event itself and one somewhat later. The replies from Fritz aren‘t there.
My dearest brother,
my brother is no longer living; death, a dreadful death has just taken him away from us. A suffocative catarrh ripped him from this world. I cry for a brother, I grieve for a friend. Death was most painful. I did not leave him until the last moment. That is all I can tell you in such a cruel and sensitive moment. I have the honor to be, my very dear brother, etc.
My dearest brother,
It seems that nothing interests as much as knowing the last circumstances of the life of a person whom one has loved dearly, and of whom one bitterly mourns the loss. This is why, my dear brother, I have already had the honor to warn you in one of my letters about the details that you ask me for. But to show you my obedience, I will tell you again. Twenty-three hours of suffering killed my brother. He retained all his presence of mind; he only lost feeling about half an hour before his death. At the height of his anxieties, ready to suffocate at any moment, he made no complaint; his soul was calm in the midst of his pains; resigned to the will of the Supreme Being, he invoked this God who alone could help him. The minister, having made the prayer, asked him several questions to which, not being able to speak any more, he replied with signs and frightful groans which I hope demonstrated the interior satisfaction which he felt from the consolations he had just heard. Finally, this brother in whose place I would have liked to die died. Cruel separation! I was there, I saw it, and I lost him forever. Shortly before he fell ill again, he ordered that he wanted his body to be opened, which was done the next day; the doctors gave me in writing the reasons they suppose to be the cause of his death. This is the paper that I have the honor to send you. I plan to leave for Schwedt tomorrow, to see my sister, to mourn my misfortunes, and to beg Heaven to stop its anger. Yes, we all invoke it for the preservation of your days; live, be happy, my dear brother, do not give in too much to your affliction, think of your health, and be persuaded of the tender attachment with which I have the honor to be, my very dear brother, etc.
As I said, the direct replies from Fritz aren‘t there, but some later letters, including one from September that refers to the day visit he thanked Heinrich for in the Heinrich correspondance:
I begin to calm down; it is not yet a rest assured, but I am in the situation of the sea after a strong storm: the waves are still moved, although the great movements have subsided. I found my brother Heinrich very well; I did not speak of any unfortunate matter. You understand me. The wound is too new for the pain to be aroused by touching it. We beat here a certain Loudon, who fancies himself a Fabius Maximus, who, to well deserve this title, let himself be beat without this bothering him. Here, you would say, a great feat! What do you want, my dear sister? it is a farce after the tragedy. I can only speak to you about events. We take care of it all day long, and things that strike the senses leave more impression on them than reflections. I'm afraid I have already bored you too much. Deign to forgive me, and may the friendship which you show me make you bear my ramblings in favor of the feelings and tenderness with which I am, my very dear sister, etc
No letter post Wilhelmine‘s death, but that may be because he actually ordered Amalie to him post Hochkirch & Wilhelmine as we know from Lehndorff. Lastly, there‘s a 1759 letter:
My dear sister,
Your letter served me as a tonic to strengthen myself against the dangers that surround me. I'm sorry to know you have a fever. I flatter myself that it will only be a slight attack of a temporary illness, which will strengthen your health. Tomorrow we cross the Elbe and march for Görlitz, where we will be on the 8th, to be the 13th in order to confront Loudon, in Silesia. Heaven grant that this much-desired peace will come, even if it is only in the middle of summer! Maybe this month I will hear from you again. If the Russians get involved, our correspondence will be intercepted from the beginning of July. God be conducive to us! I took leave of my brother Heinrich; he accomplishes deeds above and beyond. I can say that I really love him, and that I am grateful to him for his good will. I rely on him. He has spirit and ability, two things very rare to find, and much sought after in present times. Farewell, my angel; forgive me if I don't write you longer; but I am tired, and I have a huge task to accomplish. Kindly receive assurances of the tenderness with which I am, my dear sister, etc.