The Works of Francis Parkman

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER XVIII. 1757, 1758. PITT. Frederk- or Prussia.?The Coalition Against Him: Bis Desperate Position. ? Rossbach. ? Lbuthbn. ? Reverses Of England. ? Weakness Of The Ministry. ? A Change. ? Pitt And Newcastle. ? Character Op Pitt. ? Sources or Bib Power: His Aims. ? Louis XV. ? Pompadour: She Con- Trols THE COURT AND DIRECTS THE WAR. ? GLOOMY PROS- PECTS Op England. ? Disasters. ? The New Ministry. ? Inspiring Influence Op Pitt.?The Tide Turns.?British Victories. ? Pitt's Plans Fob America. ? Louisbourg, Tlconderoga, Dcquesne. ? New Commanders. ? Naval Battles. The war kindled in the American forest was now raging in full conflagration among the kingdoms of Europe; and in the midst stood Frederic of Prussia, a veritable fire-king. He had learned through secret agents that he was to be attacked, and that the wrath of Maria Theresa with her two allies, Pompadour and the Empress of Russia, was soon to wreak itself upon him. With his usual prompt audacity he anticipated his enemies, marched into Saxony, and began the Continental war. His position seemed desperate. England, sundered from Austria, her old ally, had made common cause with him; but he had no other friend worth the counting. France, Russia, Austria, Sweden, Saxony, the collective Germanic Empire, and most of the smaller German States had joined hands for his ruin, eager to crush him and divide the spoil, parcelling out his dominions among themselves in advance by solemn mutual compact. Against the five millions of Prussia were arrayed populations of more than a hundred millions. The little kingdom was open on all sides to attack, and her enemies were spurred on by the bitterest animosity. It was thought that one campaign would end the war. The war lasted seven years, and Prussia came out of it triumphant. Such..