1864: The forgotten war that shaped modern Europe by Tom Buk-Swienty

Author:Tom Buk-Swienty [Buk-Swienty, Tom]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Profile Books
Published: 2015-04-01T16:00:00+00:00

20

Sankelmark

As the last Danish troops were leaving the town of Schleswig at one in the morning, a Prussian officer entered the Dannevirke. He and a bugler had been sent to the Dannevirke by the Austrian general staff to deliver a letter granting the Danes their request for a ceasefire to collect the wounded the following day. The request was of course a ruse meant to assure the opponent that 6 February would be like any other day at the front. The Danish subterfuge, however, nearly failed, as the allied envoys arrived later than expected, shortly after the Danes had evacuated the position. Had the envoys immediately alerted headquarters, a full-blown pursuit could have been set in motion and the retreating Danish troops routed there and then.

The two men had moved cautiously towards the position at around midnight; the bugler had signalled their arrival but all was quiet. The Danish soldiers, who were just then leaving the town of Schleswig a few kilometres to the north, heard the bugler’s call and, believing it to be an assault signal, marched off rapidly.

The Prussian officer, confused by the silence, threw all caution to the wind and walked straight into the position, only to find it eerily devoid of life. But he did not raise the alarm. Instead the Prussian negotiator and his bugler continued north; on their way they came upon a group of residents from the town of Schleswig, who informed them that the Danes had evacuated the entire position and were heading north. Later that night, at about 4 a.m., the Schleswig residents were granted an interview with General Goblenz, the Austrian field marshal, at his headquarters in the village of Lottorf. Heavy with sleep and barely dressed, Gablenz met with the excited group. As soon as he understood what was going on, however, he was instantly wide awake and began barking orders left and right. ‘A few moments later,’ an eyewitness recounted, ‘the whole village was in action. In the cold night [we heard] buglers blow to the assembly and saw orderlies run to and fro with orders from General Gablenz.’

Austrian troops soon drew up towards the town of Schleswig, which was in a state of great excitement. Austrian general staff officer Gründorf von Zebegény wrote in his memoirs that the town was ‘lit and a festive reception for the Prussian arrival had been prepared. Even though it was very early in the morning … every man, woman and child was up and about. Young girls waved white scarves from candlelit windows, as we rode down the main street.’ Schleswig’s blue-and-white independence flag had been run up all over town to honour the German soldiers. A majority of the residents in this ‘Danish’ county seat clearly saw themselves as German and welcomed the Austrian troops as their liberators.

After arriving in town at about 7 a.m., Gablenz had dispatched a light cavalry unit, the Lichtenstein Hussars, to the north for reconnaissance and selected two brigades to pursue the Danish troops. They departed at a few minutes past 8 a.

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