14 
LAND & WATER 
Kovcniltr 23, 1916 
Nvilli whose movements he had to conform conccnniif, 
" the inconceivable delays of General von ^ orck, who 
runs the risk of being turned by the Russians : he need 
onlv follow mv own track, for the road is qmte distinct. 
Von Yorck was following, however, but in a manner 
more in accord with his political motives than military 
conditions warranted. The nearest Russian corps was 
that of Dicbitsch. In the night of the 25th to the zMh 
the latter had sent a detachment to Kroschc, which is 
north of Tauroggen. with the object of threatening the 
, route of the Prussian column. He even sent them 
(the Prussians) word of this bv one of his otlicers, adding 
that it was useless to spill more blood, and that it would 
be preferable to come to some understanding, llus 
message was given to von Yorck, who consented to an 
interview between the two forces. Clausewitz ;vho was 
at the time a licutcnant-colbnel on the staff of Dicbitsch 
and who played an active part in the affair, has given 
a detailed account of what took place. . 
Dicbitsch had deployed his troops tc^ make as effective 
a show as possible, biit he confessed to Yorck that, in 
\iew of the condition of his men, it would nut be.possiDlc 
for him to cut the hitter's retreat. He was, however, 
\crv insistent on the point of coming to an aniic^ble 
agreement, and stated that he was ready to conclude a 
treaty of neutrality with the Prussian general. Accord- 
ing to Clausewitz, "Yorck made 'no formal decision; 
but he seemed to be inclined towards such an arrange- 
ment, which would not stain the honour of Ins 
arms, but from the militarv point of view, he did not 
vet feel justilied in negotiating to this end. It was, 
therefore decided not to do anything during that night ; 
on the following morning, Yorck would make a ream- 
naissance and would then march upon Laskow, as if he 
wished to turn the left Hank of Dicbitsch, who was facing 
him at Sziheli." 
On the evening of the 28th, Clausewitz, who had passed 
the day with \on Yorck, returned to his headquarters. 
At the moment of parting, \on Yorck addressed him as 
follows : " I will remain all the day of the 29th at 
lauroggen and on the ;oth will continue my march upon 
Tilsit in the morning ; if I lind Tilsit occupied, and if 
there is a corps on mv right flank which will prevent 
mv marching upon Novoviasto, if also I am being 
harassed bv troops from the rear, then 1 will ^iR" =» 
convention' \\ith the Russian general." It was hardly 
possible for him to arrange for his own en\elopment 
with more precision ! 
The Russian Commander-in-Chief, C.eneral Witt- 
genstein, did not wait to be asked twice. He made haste 
to issue the necessary orders and charged his chief of 
staff. Colonel d'Auvray to send a copy of these orders 
to von Yorck, which was as a matter of fact done on the 
morning of the 2qth. But at the same moment an 
emissary arri\ed from Marshal Macdonald, who had been 
able to" cross the Russian encircling detachments and 
reach the Prussian rear-guard. He carried information 
from Macdonald to von ^'orck that the communications 
of the X Corps with Koenigsberg were undisturbed, and 
that he awaited him at Tilsit, which was only four leagues 
distant from Tauroggen. This order was very awkward 
for von Yorck, and when Clausewitz came to .see him, 
during the morning, he began b\- refusing to receixe him, 
and when the latter eventuallv pushed his way in he was 
greeted with : " Clear out, 1 don't want to have any- 
thing more to do with you ; your d Cossacks have 
allowed a messenger from Macdonald to reach me with 
orders that I am to join him at Pitkuprrnen. 1 have 
made up mv mind. Y'our troops will not turn u}), because 
you are too' weak, and I will have nothing more to do with 
negotiations that may cost me mv head." 
( lausewitz replied : " But your Excellency would not 
allow me to depart without having fulhlled my mission. " 
Thereupon Yorck called in his Chief of Staff, Colonel 
Roeder, who had be'.-n in an adjoining room. D'Auvray's 
orders to the Russian troops were read once more : then 
Y'orck reflected for a moment and said to ( lausewitz : 
" \ov\ are a Prussian, 'fell me, do you think that ( icneral 
d'Auvray means what he says, and that Wittgenstein's 
trooi)s will be at the places indicated in these orders ac 
the times stated ? Can you give me your word of honour 
as to that ? " • i- , 
Clausewitz, having replied in the affirmative, 'I orck 
held out his hand, saying : " 1 am your man. 1 ell General 
La Brabanconne (1916) • 
Bv Emile C.amm.\ekts. 
" The iiRii. uowded in open trucks, exposed to wind and 
weather, were in a most miserable condition. Their moral, 
in spite of cold and privation, was not shaken and, even 
while suffering this new form of oppression, they went away 
singing patriotic songs. " , 
[Exiracl from the official protest of lite Belgian Govertm ni). 
" Apres des siecles d'esclavage " 
— Ecoute, maman, un train qui passe. . . . j 
Je n'ai jamais cntendu chanter 
bes gens que avaient I'air moins gai. 
Leurs levres tremblent, leur voix se cassc. 
Quo va-t-on fairc de ces gens la ? 
Pom-quoi s'ils chantent ne ricnt-ils pas ? 
Viens voir, maman, le train qui passe. . « a 
— Fermc done la fenetrc, mon petit, 
L'air de Novembre me transit. 
—On les a parques comme des betes, 
lis sont serres comme des harengs. 
Drole d'idee qu'ils ont de chanter a tue-tete, 
Malgrc la pluie, malgre Ic vent ! 
Leurs joues sont pales et leurs ycux brillcnt 
Malgre le froid, malgre la pluie, 
On les a parcjues comme des betes. . < • 
— Mon Ills, se sont des ouvriers 
Qui vont travailler aux chanticrs. 
-^Et ceux-la qui levent la main ) 
Comme pour un dernier adi'eu ? 
Et celui-ci qui ronge un crouton de pain 
Et I'autre qui se cache les yeux ? 
Oh, maman, jc les reconnais. . . . 
Que leur veut-bn et qu'ont-ils fait ? 
N'est-cc pas, dis-moi, ce n'est pas cux 
Qui levent la main ? 
—Mon ills, je ne puis tc le cachcr 
Ce sont tes freres qu'ils ont emmencs. . » » 
"Apres des siecles d'esclavage. . . ." 
[All Rights Reserved] 
Wittgenstein that we will talk together to-morrow at the 
mill of Poscheren,andthatI have decided from now on t.; 
dissociate myself with the l->ench and with their cause. " 
On the following day, at 8 a.m., the so-called Con- 
vention of Tauroggen was signed by the two generals 
von Yorck and Dicbitsch, in the presence of Colonel 
von Roeder, Major von Scydlitz, Lieutenant- Colonel 
Clausewitz and Major Count Dohna. 
I am not aware whether the surrender of General 
Hazzopoulos needed so much discussion. Above all, I 
am unaware whether the " neutrality " of the 4th Greek 
.\rmy Corps will be similar to that of the Prussian 
division under von Yorck. Actually, the neutrality 
onl>^ lasted for threi; months, for at the lapse of that 
time from the meeting at the mill of Poschercn, Yorck's 
di\-ision was marching alongside the Russian Armies. 
Louis Tracy's latest novel, rioisc)' of the ^Cnrxe, (Casscll 
and Co., 6s.), concerns an artist hi Hrittany. and his daughter 
■S'vonnc, whose mother had deserted licr juisband, obtained 
an .American divorce, and married aj,'ain, Uhen the wreck of 
a yacht threw her int« the Breton village where her daughter 
and first husband lived. It is a stirring story— the wreck 
of the yacjit and the rescue of its crew and passengers is a 
tine piece of work, while a feature of the book is the delineation 
f)f Breton jxasant life and customs. Airy mention of the 
book should .include a word for the dignilied and touching 
dedication of the work, to the memory of the author's son. 
of whom " it is recorded in the Highland Division that he 
'did his duty noblv and wqU,' " 
