KOSSUTH, LOUIS. 



401 



arms and ammunition, and Austrian officers, 

 disguised as Servians, led the assault. Thou- 

 sands were slain on both sides, villages were 

 sacked, and general destruction wrought. It 

 was a most unfortunate time for Hungary, as 

 her troops were nearly all engaged in fighting 

 for the Austrian Emperor in Italy. Kossuth 

 did a giant's and a patriot's work in rousing his 

 simple countrymen to a realization of their situ- 

 ation by speeches, writings, and such intense ac- 

 tivity that, greatly through his efforts, the Hun- 

 garian ministry succeeded in raising ten bat- 

 talions of volunteer troops, known as the " Hon- 

 veds," or " Home Defenders." 



In September Hungary was invaded by 30,000 

 Servians and Croatian s. Their leader was Jel- 

 lachich, the Ban of Croatia, who was defeated 

 by the Hungarians and retreated to Vienna. 

 The Emperor appointed Count Lamberg field 

 marshal of the Hungarian army, but when he 

 appeared at Pesth to assume the office the in- 

 furiated people murdered him. In the pocket 

 of his coat was found an order dissolving the 

 Hungarian Parliament. The news of this fact 

 created a tremendous uproar, and a proclama- 

 tion was published called " The Parliament's 

 Address to the Nation." As result of this ap- 

 peal a strong force was raised, and in October it 

 invaded Austria, but was defeated in a battle 

 not far from Vienna. A few weeks later the 

 Austrians invaded Hungary with a large army, 

 commanded by Prince Windischgratz. Before 

 their coming the Hungarian Parliament retired 

 to Debreczin. Then the war began in earnest, 

 and the Hungarians gained so many victories 

 that the Parliament proclaimed the independ- 

 ence of Hungary, and the deposition of the 

 House of Hapsburg from the office of Kings of 

 Hungary. This measure, carried through the 

 special exertions of Kossuth, produced a divi- 

 sion in the camp. The soldiers favored it, but 

 Gorgei, the commander in chief, was opposed to 

 it, and openly combated it. The people in many 

 instances sympathized with the chief, they 

 wanted constitutional freedom, but with the 

 old regime. 



Kossuth was appointed by Parliament Provi- 

 sional Governor of Hungary, and a temporary 

 committee was named to manage the national 

 affairs. This committee was afterward formed 

 into a committee of defense, with Kossuth as 

 its president. It acted as a ministry until May 

 1, 1849, when a Cabinet was formed with Count 

 Szemere as Premier. The Russians soon after- 

 ward joined the Austrians, and the then divided 

 Hungarian forces were defeated in the north 

 and in the south. 



Meantime there had been much murmuring 

 against Kossuth, and when the news of the dis- 

 asters in the field reached his ears he resigned 

 his office of provisional governor and conferred 

 upon Gorgei the whole civil and military power 

 of a dictator. With the officers and part of the 

 Army of the South he escaped to Turkish terri- 

 tory ; Gorgei, on Aug. 14, made an uncondi- 



tional surrender of his army to the Russians, 

 and Hungary's attempt at independence was at 

 an end. 



Kossuth- and his officers were imprisoned 

 twice, and he was finally sent into confinement 

 in Asia Minor, where he was joined by his wife 

 with their two sons and daughter. While here, 

 at Kutaya, he made himself familiar with the 

 English language, chiefly by reading Shakespeare 

 with the aid of "Johnson's Dictionary." The 

 English and American governments interfered 

 for his release, and, through their ministers at 

 Constantinople, in defiance of the threats of 

 Austria, he was set at liberty in 1851. In Sep- 

 tember of that year he embarked on a United 

 States man-of-war, which, in accordance with a 

 resolution of the Senate, had been sent to con- 

 vey him to this country as the nation's guest. 

 He landed at Gibraltar, Lisbon, and South- 

 ampton, England, and was received, but espe- 

 cially in London, with boundless enthusiasm. 

 He was able to address each people in their own 

 language, and his speeches created the greatest 

 interest. His eloquent use of English produced 

 especial astonishment. In November he reached 

 the United States, apparently intending to rouse 

 a sentiment that might be used in aid of Hun- 

 gary. He found sympathy, admiration, and at- 

 tention wherever he traveled or spoke, and he 

 collected some money. He returned to Europe 

 in July, 1852, intending to renew the struggle 

 for Hungarian independence, but the overthrow 

 of the French Republic and establishment of the 

 empire put an end to any reasonable hope of 

 success. Nevertheless, Kossuth spent all the 

 money he had collected in preparations for an 

 uprising in 1853, and the attempt ended in the 

 execution of several of his compatriots and the 

 banishment of others, among whom were his 

 mother and his sisters. Two of his sisters died 

 in the United States. 



Kossuth still kept his cause before the people, 

 and maintained himself by lecturing ; and when 

 in 1859 France and Sardinia were preparing to 

 make war on Austria he visited Paris and Italy 

 to confer with those governments, hoping that 

 the war might be so extended as to include an 

 invasion of Hungary, and ultimately its libera- 

 tion. But the war was of short duration, and 

 after two great battles was closed by the peace 

 of Villafranca. After residing in London about 

 ten years, Kossuth removed to Turin, where he 

 spent the remainder of his life in poverty. He 

 occupied himself with scientific study, published 

 several papers and wrote his " Memoirs," the 

 publication of which was completed in 1882. 

 During his voluntary exile he was elected to the 

 Hungarian Parliament, but he declined to return 

 and take the seat, A collection of his speeches, 

 edited by Robert Carter, appeared in Boston in 

 1852, and another, edited by Francis W. New- 

 man, in London, in 1853 both having the ora- 

 tor's sanction. His collected works were pub- 

 lished in the " Europaische Bibliothek " (Wur- 

 zen, 1860-'70). 



VOL. xxxiv. 26 A 



