The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1896-05-16
TWO HEROIC FIGURES.
Peter the Great and Charles XII
of Sweden.
DUEL OF THE MORSE AND sLAV.

ish banners, but the Musosvits Triumph
st the Battle Of Poltsvs and VAL
or Of Conqueror and Conquered.
Copyright. 1885, by John Clark Ridpath.l
XII.
DUEL WITH CHARLE5 XII.
The first decade of the eighteenth CEN
tury witnessed the greatest personal
duel Of modern times. Two really he
roic figures, one Morse and the other
Slav, emerged from medieval barba-
rism, faced each other with their armies
and fought Tor the mastery Of north
eastern Europe. The men we're alike in
personal prowess and hardihood. Nei.
ther was acquainted with fear Each
was susceptible Of the rage Of battle.
Each was supported in the duel with
the whole force Of his own nation, be-
sides allies and contingents.
1t was the manner Of Charles XII Of
Sweden to reply to 4 bombshell with
burst Of laughter. 1t was Peter style
to answer defeat with q witticism.
When the one was hampered with con-
ditions and threatened with ruin, he
reddened with the madness Of resist
ance. The other under like conditions
had twitching Of the muscles that
amounted to paroxysm. The one had
educated himself by reading the Sagas
and the stories Of Alexander the Great.
The other had got his culture by prowl-
ing around Moscow in the night with
band Of foreign outlaws, afterward by
hewing masts in the shipyards Of Hol-
land. still later by playing with mon
keys IN the library Of Sir John Evelyn.
The genius Of each reached to the verge
Of insanity. The men were alike In
greatness OF stature Peter was taller
than Lincoln, and Charles was taller
than Peter. Each had the strength and
the build Of giant. Each had conf
dence in his personal power.
Charles was, at the close of the seven
teenth century. in the eighteenth year Of
his age and the third year Of his reign.
Europe had no opinion OF his capacity.
The old soldiers Of Germany smiled at
the idea Of an invasion of the "Snow
King" as they called him. The league
contrived BY Patkul went on we'll until
~ OObOooI VA AsSV. cNSk0 WIN laIkc
army Of Russians, came on Cor his part
Of the war against the town OF Narva,
on the river Of the same name. SO miles
southwest Of where st. Petersburg was
presently to be founded. The young
Charles first threatened the king of Den,
mark and forced him to sign treaty.
Then the king Of Poland was In like
manner obliged to raise the siege OF Riga
and fee away. Charles was thus left
free to give his attention to the czar,
who had begun the siege Of Narva.
A few days after the Poles fed from
Riga Charles. marching across Livonia,
came by forced stages 10 that place. His
approach was like that Of storm. The
like Of it had not been witnessed in
modern Europe. The Swedes, coming on
under cover Of q snowstOrm, fell upon
the outposts. which were held by 5000
Russian cavalry, and swept everything
into rout. Peters forces were composed
Of about 40, 200 men. Part of them were
regular Russian troops, another part a
division Of Strelzui, third part Cos
sacks, and the remainder raw levies Of
NO military reputation.
The battle was fought Oh the aOth of
November, 1900. The Russians could
not see the enemy 20 PAGES away, for
the binding snow. The assailants leap
ed the fosse and climbed the parapet,
and sudden panic ensued. The German
commander, the old Herzog Won Croi,
was distrusted by the Slavs, and with
the break Of confidence between him and
his men nothing remained but to sur
render. A thousand fugitives were
drowned In attempting to swim the
Narva. The favorite regiments Of Peter
got themselves into an extemporiZed
fort, but the Russian army was divided
and routed in detail. Those who still at
tempted to defend themselves after the
first assault capitulated during the
night. The greater number were grant.
ed the privilege Of free retreat, with
arms and standards and baggage. Those
in the fortress had to surrender at dis
cretion. The general result was that the
Swedes. under the reckless Charles, nc
more than 8, 400 in numbers, utterly
routed and overthrow the czar's army Of
| more than 40, 900 men 1t was doubtless
the most conspicuous victory achieved in
| Europe since the dark ages.
| Peters activity knew no bounds. In
the three or four years of lull that fol
lowed Narva he applied himself with
the greatest diligence to the tasks of EN-
pire. The first Of these he conceived to
be the creation Of a new capital The
| czar believed that he could not modern.
! ize Russia from Moscow. He according
ly determined to get his government to
! the sea. Russia must be commercial and
| International. and to this end the capi-
tai must be an emporium. The fatal
mistake was that instead Of looking to
the sea Of Azov and the establishment
BY that way Of a warm water route into
the Mediterranean and thence to all
seas and shores. he looked to the guilt
| Of Finland, bleak and frozen. Goethe
says that the place reminded him Of
! Amsterdam, or Of Venice, the Italian
Amstsrdam which was correct II we
subtract the winter. Peter selected the
! place where the Neva divides into four
arms, and these into others. until the
volume Of the river 10 separated into ID
! water courses. besides the lake and the
! canals. The site is subject to inunda
tf<nn whon thu hOyp limo hlacly winds ont