Context is for kings, to quote a dangerous Starship Captain. :) Anyway, I agree on the Fritz psychology of it all and would like to add that what strikes me is the black irony that even before AW's demise, even before AW's fall into disgrace, the dynamics between Heinrich and Fritz had taken another twist, because 7 Years War Fritz is suddenly emotionally needy for Heinrich's affection which (at least openly) never happened before. (I'm adding "openly" as a qualifier because who knows what that insulted "you didn't talk to me for six months and now you want to go on the Grand tour? Hell no!") was all about. But still, as I said elsewhere, until the war starts, if you'd asked people they might have been uncertain whether Heinrich or Ferdinand were Fritz' least favourite brother, but they definitely would not have said Heinrich was in any way important to Fritz. (Other than to boss around.)
And then the Kolin defeat happens, and suddenly we get this, partially quoted by Ziebura, in Henckel's Diary. (Cahn, context: the divine trio was actually not present at Kolin. Fritz had announced he'd go and defeat Prussia's enemies. Then the first big Prussian defeat of the war occurs. Also, Prince Ferdinand of Braunschweig is EC's and Louise's brother, and Hahn thinks he, not either Fritz or Heinrich, was the best General of the 7 Years War.)
After 1 am in the night Major Grand, AD to the King, arrived with a few hunters at the Prince of Braunschweig's, who then went straight to Prince Heinrich. Since I hadn't undressed after the beginning of the Blockade - of Prague - , I went outside of my own tent and approached them. I saw on the face of Prince Ferdinand pain and grief even though he tried to suppress it. I woke up Prince Heinrich with emotions that were very different from yesterday's joy. Major Grand told the Prince that his Majesty had sent him to announce one of the biggest and most murderous battles ever fought. (Fritz, you don't know what's to come. Kunersdorf is still ahead of you.) Gods! The Prince exclaimed whle rising from his bed. His Majesty, Major Grand continued, had further said: Inform the generals of my misfortune. I have done everything I could to win the battle, but it wasn't possible for me. They should prepare everything to lift the Blockade at first command.
(Henckel then describes the battle according to the reports he's heard and is fully blaming Fritz, saying Fritz refused to listen to Ziethen and the Duke of Bevern about the number of enemies and their positions. He also has a Sketch of the battle positions. (Useful.) Our generals were in the greatest distress. One started to prepare for the retreat without knowing when and how the later should happen. Prince Ferdinand of Braunschweig was so depressed by the misfortune that had struck us that he wasn't capable of doing anything. Prince Heinrich, despite also being struck in the most painful way, showed at this opportunity that great men can feel things deeply without losing their strength of Soul. He went to General Winterfelt on the left shore in order to talk with him about what to do. Then he met up with the Prince of Prussia, Princes Ferdinand of Braunschweig and Prussia, Prince Schönaich, and Field Marshal Keith, Generals Schmettau and Winterfeldt and General Majors Golz and Retzow at the villagen Branick in order to debate what had to be done immediately. He encouraged everyone in their their morale and became the soul of the Enterprise. He read out loud the dispositions he'd made to start the retreat in three colons to Brandeis. Marshall Keith should then follow the next morning. No sooner had the Prince returned to his quarters that he was told about the impending arrival of the King. On the 19th at 3 pm. HIs royal highness the prince thus immediately rode with the Princes Ferdinand to the house in Micheln in which the King had lived previously to his Departure for Kolin in order to await him there. What painful spectacle then awaited our Looks as we saw the man returning bent by pain and grief who had believed himself to be the conqueror of the world just a few days earlier! Since 36 hours, he'd sat on the same horse, and despite it was clear that he could hardly walk anymore, he still forced himself to show a good attitude. After he'd entered, he called for Prince Heinrich. The King lay on a sack of straw coverd with a sheet, since his luggage had not yet arrived. He kissed, maybe for the first time, his brother tenderly, admitted to him his lethal pain and assured him that everything he'd done until now had only been for the love of his family. He repeated several times that he wanted to die, and that he would kill himself. The Prince urged him to calm himself and to use the remaining time for a retreat before Daun or Nadasty had the time to advance and cause even more damage. The King replied to the Prince that he was now incapable of doing anything and that he needed to rest. He ordered the Prince to create the necessary dispositions, whereupon the later presented them as already finished, and the King agreed to them. Whereupon the Prince assembled all generals and told them the Disposition.
This is also when Fritz starts to write to Heinrich all the time (as you once pointed out, those are A LOT OF LETTERS), and some of this is needing every good officer he could get and realising Heinrich was in fact one, but some of it really is having decided he needs this particular brother emotionally, not to needle as in the Marwitz affair, not to submit (though that will come again post war), but now he needs him to provide affection and therapy. Again, this is before AW's disgrace. And there's Ferdinand the brother in law who has a good relationship with Fritz in General. And yet he asks for Heinrich, specifically, with whom he's had a stormy relationship at best, to tell him "I did it all for our family" and to be talked out of suicide by him. See, that's why I find their dsyfunctionality so fascinating.
Re: Heinrich readthrough!
And then the Kolin defeat happens, and suddenly we get this, partially quoted by Ziebura, in Henckel's Diary. (Cahn, context: the divine trio was actually not present at Kolin. Fritz had announced he'd go and defeat Prussia's enemies. Then the first big Prussian defeat of the war occurs. Also, Prince Ferdinand of Braunschweig is EC's and Louise's brother, and Hahn thinks he, not either Fritz or Heinrich, was the best General of the 7 Years War.)
After 1 am in the night Major Grand, AD to the King, arrived with a few hunters at the Prince of Braunschweig's, who then went straight to Prince Heinrich. Since I hadn't undressed after the beginning of the Blockade - of Prague - , I went outside of my own tent and approached them. I saw on the face of Prince Ferdinand pain and grief even though he tried to suppress it. I woke up Prince Heinrich with emotions that were very different from yesterday's joy. Major Grand told the Prince that his Majesty had sent him to announce one of the biggest and most murderous battles ever fought. (Fritz, you don't know what's to come. Kunersdorf is still ahead of you.) Gods! The Prince exclaimed whle rising from his bed. His Majesty, Major Grand continued, had further said: Inform the generals of my misfortune. I have done everything I could to win the battle, but it wasn't possible for me. They should prepare everything to lift the Blockade at first command.
(Henckel then describes the battle according to the reports he's heard and is fully blaming Fritz, saying Fritz refused to listen to Ziethen and the Duke of Bevern about the number of enemies and their positions. He also has a Sketch of the battle positions. (Useful.)
Our generals were in the greatest distress. One started to prepare for the retreat without knowing when and how the later should happen. Prince Ferdinand of Braunschweig was so depressed by the misfortune that had struck us that he wasn't capable of doing anything. Prince Heinrich, despite also being struck in the most painful way, showed at this opportunity that great men can feel things deeply without losing their strength of Soul. He went to General Winterfelt on the left shore in order to talk with him about what to do. Then he met up with the Prince of Prussia, Princes Ferdinand of Braunschweig and Prussia, Prince Schönaich, and Field Marshal Keith, Generals Schmettau and Winterfeldt and General Majors Golz and Retzow at the villagen Branick in order to debate what had to be done immediately. He encouraged everyone in their their morale and became the soul of the Enterprise. He read out loud the dispositions he'd made to start the retreat in three colons to Brandeis. Marshall Keith should then follow the next morning. No sooner had the Prince returned to his quarters that he was told about the impending arrival of the King.
On the 19th at 3 pm. HIs royal highness the prince thus immediately rode with the Princes Ferdinand to the house in Micheln in which the King had lived previously to his Departure for Kolin in order to await him there. What painful spectacle then awaited our Looks as we saw the man returning bent by pain and grief who had believed himself to be the conqueror of the world just a few days earlier! Since 36 hours, he'd sat on the same horse, and despite it was clear that he could hardly walk anymore, he still forced himself to show a good attitude.
After he'd entered, he called for Prince Heinrich. The King lay on a sack of straw coverd with a sheet, since his luggage had not yet arrived. He kissed, maybe for the first time, his brother tenderly, admitted to him his lethal pain and assured him that everything he'd done until now had only been for the love of his family. He repeated several times that he wanted to die, and that he would kill himself. The Prince urged him to calm himself and to use the remaining time for a retreat before Daun or Nadasty had the time to advance and cause even more damage. The King replied to the Prince that he was now incapable of doing anything and that he needed to rest. He ordered the Prince to create the necessary dispositions, whereupon the later presented them as already finished, and the King agreed to them. Whereupon the Prince assembled all generals and told them the Disposition.
This is also when Fritz starts to write to Heinrich all the time (as you once pointed out, those are A LOT OF LETTERS), and some of this is needing every good officer he could get and realising Heinrich was in fact one, but some of it really is having decided he needs this particular brother emotionally, not to needle as in the Marwitz affair, not to submit (though that will come again post war), but now he needs him to provide affection and therapy. Again, this is before AW's disgrace. And there's Ferdinand the brother in law who has a good relationship with Fritz in General. And yet he asks for Heinrich, specifically, with whom he's had a stormy relationship at best, to tell him "I did it all for our family" and to be talked out of suicide by him. See, that's why I find their dsyfunctionality so fascinating.