Clasuewitz

6 Pages 1467 Words

In Roger Parkinson’s “Clausewitz A Biography.” Parkinson argues Clausewitz as a man was sensitive and compassionate, and was not the war monger the later generation has conceived Clausewitz to be. The evidence to support this thesis was found first in chapter five entitled Prisoner of War, which discusses Clausewitz’s reaction and feelings of being a prisoner of war, in 1806 to the French. From a letter to his fiancé Marie von Bruhl. “It is infinitely pleasant to share one’s thoughts with someone you respect and with someone you trust. Such love and devotion have I for two people only in the world, for you and my friend Scharnhorst. I would scarcely find a third to equal them, even if I looked all my life.” [pg.94, para.3, line.40-43]
Chapter eleven entitled Eighteen Thirteen discusses the battle of Bautzen, the battle was a horror to both sides. Sharnhorst was injured, his wound failed to heal and infection set in. “ Clausewitz was overcome with grief. The last news of Scharnhorst was that he was dead, as you will have already heard. He wrote to Marie on 30th of June. You will know how sad I am. Although he is irreplaceable for the army, for the country, and for Europe, I find it difficult to think of all that, and at this moment I can think of nothing but the personal loss of this dearest friend of all my life. No-one else can take his place and he will always be missed by me. I cannot tell you how deep is my grief. Clausewitz continued: How hard it must have been for him to leave this world: he had so much left that he wanted to do. I would not have cared to attend his dying moments, since it would have affected me badly, but I still regret my absence among those who paid their respects and showed their devotion at the end, because of the thousands who owed him gratitude and love, no-one owes him more than I. Except for you, nobody has shown me so much kindness, and nobody has so influenced the whole happiness...