Still got no drive to write. A boat without a rudder or sail. I just kind of sit here in the water. Perhaps, what I need is shot of Guts from the past. This idea has been floating in my head for a while now. Recounting moments in history that displayed or embodied the idea guts. Guts can be defined as being courage, fortitude, unwavering determination, etc… personally I think it’s all of these things combined to the umpteenth degree. To twist the threads of fate with will alone.
That is Guts and this is Guts History.
Now the event that I am going to talk about takes place during the Seven Years War, On May 6th 1757 at the Battle of Prague Between Frederick the Great’s Prussian army and the Austrians. General field Marshall Kurt Christoph Graf von Schwerin. A general under the command of Frederick. Schwerin and his regiment had found themselves under heavy fire by the Austrians and in the remains of a pond which had left troops wading through mud and water , hard to traverse let alone under enemy fire. Schwerin’s forces had begun to waiver and where in disarray. Schwerin dismounts from his horse takes the Prussian flag into his hands and calls to his troops
“Let all brave Prussians follow me!”
He then leads from the front his troops into a push against the Austrians. Moments later Schwerin is struck with a grape shot and is instantly killed.
Why is this a Guts moment?
Schwerin had before this battle, been of a veteran of over 50 years, and favored by Frederick the Great, one the greatest generals this world has ever seen. Schwerin was a man who raised through the ranks not by nobility, but by merit. He was by no means a slouch on the battlefield, and before this battle had distinguished himself on the battlefield time after time. This was was a time of the long rifle which was a rifle that had to be reloaded after each shot, before machine guns or automatic guns in general. A time where guts and brave charges was a still viable strategy. Schwerin with his years of experience could of most likely felt the battle shifting and the moral of his men faulting. Schwerin did what he had to do to keep the morale of his troops. By leading the troops and subsequently being shot, he demonstrated how a man should act in such a dire situation, with GUTS. His words and actions must of rung heavily for his men. This was the only outcome for brave Prussians, death but it was the only outcome for victory as well.
And wouldn’t you know it, it worked. After Schwerin fell another man, took the the flag and kept marching forward, and when that man fell, another took his place. Schwerin’s infantry, under heavy fire, in muddy conditions and even without their Field Marshall, continued to march forward. Schwerin under overwhelming circumstances willed this part of the battle to his favor.
The Death of Field Marshal von Schwerin at the Battle of Prague, 6th May 1757
Source:http://barcalonga.blogspot.com/2014/05/today-in-military-history-may-6-2014.html
Yet it was at a great loss to the Prussian army.
Sir Andrew Mitchell an ambassador from Great Britain recounts “The whole Prussian army are now in tears for the loss of Marechal (Marshall) Schwerin, of the greatest officers this or perhaps any country has produced, and one of the best of men.
The King of Prussia (Frederick) is well but greatly afflicted for the loss of Marechal Schwerin.” *
Today Schwerin is still remembered and a statue is erected to where he fell.
*From the Memoirs and Papers of Sir Andrew Mitchell, K.B. by Andrew Bisset, London: Chapman and HAll 186, Strand, 1850.
Sources:
The story of Civilization Vol. X by Will and Ariel Durrant
Memoirs and Papers of Sir Andrew Mitchell
http://books.google.com/books?id=JAo6AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA245&lpg=PA245&dq=andrew+mitchell+schwerin&source=bl&ots=7ykZHE3UjF&sig=dJMZV9KMyUs9mZs6dLbXDST__Yo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=qYLNU7HcIZGJogSGkICADw&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=andrew%20mitchell%20schwerin&f=false
http://www.kronoskaf.com/syw/index.php?title=1757-05-06_-_Battle_of_Prague
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Christoph_Graf_von_Schwerin
Whrandom Writings 
