Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-11-06
SWEDEN'S NAPOLEON.
King Charles XII and His Many
Great Battles
The Last Of the Military Chiefs OF sweden
Recognized by the Outer WOrId-A
Man who Would Rather Fight
Than Live In Ease

One would hardly think, TO observe the
order and good nature in Stockholm, that
Sweden had once been q land Of military
glory, where the conclusions Of peace had
TO be followed by the abdication OF the Queen
who dared to call q truce. Yet so it Is.
Statues of nearly all the Swedish Kings
stand in the streets of Stockholm from
Gustovus Vasa TO yesterdays descendant
Of Bernadotte.
have been looking at some Of these,
writes "Gath" In the Cincinnati Enquirer,
and the last OF the military chiefs Of Sweden
whom the outer world recognizes was
Charles XII Charles XII. has been known
chiefly 10 the world through Voltaire's life
Of him and DR.. Johnson's poem about him.
He fourished in that middle period Of his
tory which almost obscures its heroes; he
died in 1918, less than two hundred years
ago, at the age Of thirty-six.
His father was q peaceful man, who left
him rich and had him well educated. The
military nature of the Vasa family, how
ever, broke out in him, and, being put upon
the throne at the early age OF fifteen, he be-
gan TO hunt the larger wild beasts In the
woods.
His SISTERS realm having been invaded
by the Russians. Danes, Saxons and Poles,
who had been brought together by Swed-
ish renegade, Charles went to war at the
early age Of eighteen; in the attack upon
Copenhagen, which commenced the contest,
he jumped into the water and waded ashore
ahead Of any body.
This taste Of war now became his sppe-
lite. He began to live upon frugal soldiers
fare and sleep upon the ground.
He was the first important soldier who
cut his hair close and wore little hat; his
boots were his most striking feature, beng
enormous. He cared little about odds In
battle, and began to beat the Russians in
100, and beat the Poles and Saxons also;
and though they sent him fine women to
lead him OF from war, he would have moth
ing TO do with them. He broke his leg at
Cracow, but continued to fight
It is supposed that he gave too much time
20 Poland and Saxony, and thus allowed
Russia to come forward with her vast re-
servo strength, and learn the art Of war,
her soldiers being licked with a knout to
make them fight
he gave the German Professionals their
many churches back again, which had been
taken away from them by the Austrians,
and became q friend Of the Duke Of MARI
borough; and as the precursor OF Napoleon
by one hundred years, Charles invaded
Russia in 1907 with 5000 men,
Napoleon, who came after him, had 1000
men.
Their fates were the same.
The swamps and barrenness of the coun-
try, In spite Of his victories, used Charles
up. Failing to reach Moscow, the Russians
forced him to fight and at last beat him.
He retreated into Turkey and attempted
TO make that country SIGHT with Russia.
Peter the Great at that juncture married
his mistress, a strong character, and she
Nuifh hQr iaNvala hrfha6 tho Turtle n ConarOl
TO let her husband and his army escape from
the Crimea. That sacrifice Of a woman's
Jewels was as eficacious as the sacrifice of
the jewels Of Isabella OF Spain. 1t caused
the rise OF Russia.
Charles galloped into the Russian camp
and found the Gar escaped. He implored
the Turks TO go TO war and put him in COM
mand, or Russia would overwhelm them
all.
The Russians now began to occupy the
countries the Swedes had control of along
the Baltic, while Charles still remained in
Turkey. The Turks were bribed to seize
the person Of Charles, and he fought like a
tiger In 1913, and was captured with his
eye-lashes burned of and blood everywhere
upon him
Passing through Hungary aud Western
Germany he came to his own dominions In
invested by the Russians, Prussians, Danes
and Saxons, and he stood the siege for a
year. Finally the English joined the league
against him under GeorgeI
Charles had Minister from Germany by
the name of Baron Gortz, a sort of Bismarck
in his time, who had designed 70 invade En
gland and detach Russia. The Swedes die
not like the prospect OF the coalition thai
was coming, and Charles XII. was assassi
mated, it is believed, by his own people.
They found In his pocket when he wai
dead miniature of Gustavus Adolphus, hi
ancestor, and q prayer-book. They burieC
him in q church where Gustavus Adolphul
lies, and put upon the walls the trophies
Of his many battles.
Baron Gortz was beheaded for having
sustained Charles XII, and Sweden be
gan to sink out of the rank Of tirst-clas
kingdoms. Charles was handsome man
with no vices, except obstinacy and suster