18th Century military quotes, what can you find?!

[Stiboo]

I've always enjoyed the little quotes in the loading screens in TW games as battles load etc.., what 18th Century quotes do you think will be in ETW ?


I will start the (cannon)ball rolling -


"No soldier can fight unless he is properly fed on beef and beer."

-John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough



This post has been specially designed to take your mind off of the DEMO



If we can get 100 quotes perhaps that will make the DEMO appear ?

[Sir Beane]

I know one which is almost certainly in the game, given that I saw it on a screenshot.

"Wars are just to those whom they are neccesary" -

Edmund Burke, British author, philosopher and political theorist.

[Dradem]

Well the get the Ball roling :)

"I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death"
--Patrick Henry

Cavalry is useful before, during, and after the battle.
--Napoleon

Without cavalry, battles are without result.
--Napoleon

The only way to form an army to be confided in, was a systematic discipline, by which means all men may be made heroes.
--John Adams

An army, like a serpent, travels on its belly.
--Frederick II


A cherished cause and a general who inspires confidence by previous success are powerful means of electrifying an army.
--Henri de Jomini altough I think this one was said in the 19th century :) general in French army and afterwords the Russian (turncoat )

An army is a nation within a nation, it is one of the vices of courage.
--Alfred de Vigny also a bit late in the 18th or early 19th not shure


It is not big armies that win battles, it is the good ones.
Maurice de Saxe

[Marten]

Always my favourites - all from Frederick II.

1. "A crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in."

2. "Diplomacy without arms is like music without instruments."

3. “I begin by taking. I shall find scholars later to demonstrate my perfect right.”

4. "Don't forget your great guns, which are the most respectable arguments of the rights of kings."


From Vicomte Turenne, who wrotes after the battle of Dunen to his king:

"The enemy came. He was beaten. I am tired. Goodnight."

[Freedom Onanist]

Frederick liked to impress officials of foreign governments with his giants, so when he reviewed the guard, he frequently asked some of them to come along. One day he invited a French minister and an English ambassador to accompany him on his review.

As the ranks of giants marched before them, Frederick William asked the French minister if he thought an equal number of French soldiers would venture to engage with his Potsdam giants. The minister, with a politeness characterized by his nation, answered that it was impossible that men of ordinary stature would even consider such an attempt.

Turning to the English ambassador, the king put the same question to him.

To which the staid ambassador gave this measured reply: "I can not affirm that an equal number of my countrymen would beat them, but I think that I may safely say that half the number would try."

Can't remember who the ambassador was (can't find it anymore) but that has to be one of the very the best, most civilised and cutting retorts ever.

[Fisherking]

Frederick liked to impress officials of foreign governments with his giants, so when he reviewed the guard, he frequently asked some of them to come along. One day he invited a French minister and an English ambassador to accompany him on his review.

As the ranks of giants marched before them, Frederick William asked the French minister if he thought an equal number of French soldiers would venture to engage with his Potsdam giants. The minister, with a politeness characterized by his nation, answered that it was impossible that men of ordinary stature would even consider such an attempt.

Turning to the English ambassador, the king put the same question to him.

To which the staid ambassador gave this measured reply: "I can not affirm that an equal number of my countrymen would beat them, but I think that I may safely say that half the number would try."

Can't remember who the ambassador was (can't find it anymore) but that has to be one of the very the best, most civilised and cutting retorts ever.

Was the man perhaps Irish!

Maybe not, els whe would’ve said “Two or three of a Saturday night might try”





.

[KozaK13]

"Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all."

-George Washington

"I have conquered an empire, but have not been able to conquer myself."

-Peter the Great of Russia

[Fisherking]

There is no way of dealing with the Frenchman but to knock him down - to be civil to them is to be laughed at. Why they are enemies!

Lord Nelson-11 Jan 1798 after surrender of Capua.

[Jason X]

"It's a cigarillo case engraved with the regimental crest of two crossed dead Frenchmen, emblazoned on a mound of dead Frenchmen motif"

- Lord Wellington (sort of)

[Necceh]

Soldats! Je suis content de vous (Soldiers, I am pleased with you).

-Bonie after Austerlitz

[Sheogorath]

"Train hard, fight easy."
Suvorov

"Hair powder is not gunpowder, curls are not cannons,
a queue is not a sword, and I am not a German..."
- Suvorov to Tsar (Paul I had a serious Prussia fetish and was essentially trying to turn the Russian army into the Prussian one.)

"... tell the Emperor that I am facing Russians.
If they had been Prussians, I'd have taken the
position long ago."
- French Marshal Ney in 1813

"If the French had the firmness
and the docility of the Russians
the world would not be great enough for me."
- Emperor Napoleon

"A soldier has no time for smartness on campaign."
- Kutusov in 1812

"Zaporozhian Cossacks to the Turkish Sultan!

You, turkish devil and ****ed devil's brother and friend, secretary to Lucifer himself. What the devil kind of knight are you, that can't slay a hedgehog with your naked arse? The devil s***s, and your army eats. You will not, you son of a b***h, make subjects of Christian sons; we've no fear of your army, by land and by sea we will battle with thee, fuck your mother.

You Babylonian scullion, Macedonian wheelwright, brewer of Jerusalem, goat-f**ker of Alexandria, swineherd of Greater and Lesser Egypt, Armenian pig, Podolian thief, catamite of Tartary, hangman of Kamyanets, and fool of all the world and underworld, an idiot before God, grandson of the Serpent, and the crick in our d*ck. Pig's snout, mare's arse, slaughterhouse cur, unchristened brow, screw your own mother!

So the Zaporozhians declare, you lowlife. You won't even be herding Christian pigs. Now we'll conclude, for we don't know the date and don't own a calendar; the moon's in the sky, the year in the book, the day's the same over here as it is over there; for this kiss our a**e!

Koshovyi Otaman Ivan Sirko, with the whole Zaporozhian Host"

-The ever famous 'Reply of the Zaphorozhian Cossacks' to the Turkish Sultan in 1676.
God I hope they dont get written off as generic 'rebels'. If anybody deserves a faction it's them.

"Save us Lord, from Cossacks"
-The German People, apparently, in the late 18th century

"Chlapowski of Old Guard Lancers describes how they fought with the Cossacks: "News reached the headquarters at Dabrowna that a Russian force had crossed the Dnieper River ... The Emperor sent four squadrons of Polish Guards under Kozietulski to investigate. We set off after midnight, and ... arrived at a spot half mile from Katane. There we encountered our first Cossacks. Our main body halted by som ebuilding and one squadron went out to meet them...As we sent nobody out to skirmish with them, they came closer and closer, shouting; 'Lachy !' (slang for Poles) when they discovered we were Polish. A Cossack officer on a fine grey horse came as close as a 100 paces, perhaps less, and in good Polish challenged us to meet him in single combat. Kozietulski forbade any of us to move.
The Cossack jumped from his horse and cried; 'Now you can catch me !' He then took off his cap and waved it in the air."
-I love these people :P

"By this time they were all approaching Tushin's battery
and a ball struck the ground in front of them.
'What's that that has fallen ?' asked the accountant.
'A French pancake,' answered Zherkov.
- Tolstoy "War and Peace"

"I was surprised at the precision and assurance of this infantry,
so well disciplined and of such extraordinary firmness would be
the first in the world if, to these qualities, it united a little of the
electric enthusiasm of the French."
- Napoleon, on the Russian Imperial Guard

"… a strong troop of Muscovite hussars halted at about a 100
paces from our weak advance guard. … Coming toward us,
the officer shut out in French: Qui vive ?
"France!" - our men reply quietly.
"What are you doing here ? F… off !" - shouted the hussar. "
-Roman Soltyk

"The English ... whenever they march or travel,
they bear with them a haughty air of conscious superiority ..."
- Moyle Sherer

“They are a nation of shopkeepers,
their glory is in their wealth”.
- Napoleon, on the British

"... the English army was absurdly under-rated in foreign countries
and absolutely despised in its own ...the ill-success of the expeditions
in 1794 and 1799 appeared to justify the general prejudice. "
England, both at home and abroad, was in 1808
scorned as a military power ..."
- Napier “History of the
War in Peninsula 1807-1814"

"I hate them all ... the rebellious people were trash."
-Admiral Nelson, on Americans

"Well posted, as Wellington knows how to post it,
and attacked from the front, I consider the English infantry
to be impregnable ..." - French General Reille

"Prussia had originally been an insignificant speck
on the south-eastern rim of the Baltic ..."
- Christopher Summerville

"At Jena, the Prussian army performed the finest
and most spectacular maneuvers, but I soon put
a stop to this tomfoolery and taught them that
to fight and to execute dazzling maneuvers and
wear splendid uniforms were very different matters."
- Napoleon

"Simonyi ... led his Hungarian hussars into Fontainbleu Palace
and, imitating Hadik, emptied his pipe on Napoleon's throne."
- Dave Hollins, British historian

"The most beautiful sight I have ever seen in my life
then unfurled before our eyes. Within a radius of about a mile,
we could see the entire Austrian army, with its right flank
anchored on the Danube, and its left extending beyond Wagram..."
- Chlapowski of Napoleon's Guard Lancers

"You should not tell a recruit: 'I will make you into a jager !'
You must instead take them from the forests. "
- General de Ligne

Hussar "Samuel Hemmer... had engaged
a large Cossack patrol by himslef in 1812."
Hollins - "Hungarian Hussar 1756-1815"

Gone were the republican days "when any officer
under the rank of major had had to hoof it with his men.
... Colonel Francois Roguet of the 1st Grenadiers...
has brought with him 6 servants, 12 horses and 2 wagons
filled with his personal effects ..."
(Austin - "1812: The March on Moscow")

"More dreadful-looking fellows I had never seen.
They had the look of thoroughbread, veteran,
disciplined banditti."
- Mr Hayden, on the Old Guard

"... the [French] government received the news of death
of Washington who had died ... This death was announced
to the Consular Guard by the following order:
“Washington is dead ! This great man fought the tyrants ...
His memory will be always dear to the French people,
as to all free men ...”
St.Hilaire - "History of the Imperial Guard"

[Megas Methuselah]

"Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home."

-Tecumseh

[pyradyn]

"Do not fire until you see the white of their eyes!" -Joseph Warren

"Give me Liberty or Give me Death"- Patrick Henry

"They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety,They deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Ben Franklin

"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." -- Nathan Hale's last words before being hanged by British

"There! His Majesty can now read my name without glasses. And he can double the reward on my head!" -- John Hancock after signing his name in large letters on the Declaration of Independence


"The distinctions between Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers, and New Englanders are no more. I Am Not A Virginian, But An American!" -- Patrick Henry in 1774 after the Boston Tea Party.

"The regulars are coming The regulars are coming !" Paul Revere on the Midnight Ride
"Two if by land, one if by sea" Paul Revere

[Greyblades]

"duck"

Couldn't resist.

"Soldiers usually win the battles and generals get the credit for them."
Napoleon

[CountArach]

I'm willing to bet a fair bit of Clausewitz makes it into the game.

[ratbarf]

The first one is early 19th century but I still think it applies.

In 1836, the Creek and Seminole Indian tribes in Georgia and Florida were waging war against the United States. The U. S. Army had its hands full. The Fifth Commandant of the Marine Corps offered the services of a regiment of Marines for duty with the Army. Henderson placed himself in command and, taking virtually the entire available strength of the Corps, left for the extended campaign after tacking a terse message on his office door which read:
"Have gone to Florida to fight Indians.
Will be back when War is over.

A. Henderson
Col. Commandant"

The best armor is staying out of gun-shot.
-Italian proverb

"A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon"
- Napolean Bonaparte

"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."
- Napoleon Bonaparte

"It is better to have a known enemy than a forced ally"
- Napoleon Bonaparte

"Human life is the only thing that takes care of itself."
- Napoleon Bonaparte (on why he left men exposed to the enemy in Russia

"He that makes war without many mistakes has not made war very long."
- Napoleon Bonaparte

[Kulgan]

Not a 18th century quote but half the people before me used 19th stuff so I'm not holding back :

Lord Uxbridge - commander of the allied cavalry during the battle of waterloo - when about to give pursuit so some broken unit of french line infantry his leg was struck by a cannonball and was totally destroyed ( amputated the following night )

Lord Uxbridge against another allied officer after getting the wound: I can't seem to be able to pursuit with this leg wound. Blast it! The officer's reply : Blast it indeed sir!

[Fisherking]

A couple from old Ben;

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

Franklin's Contributions to the Conference on February 17 (III) Fri, Feb 17, 1775

We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.

At the signing of the Declaration of Independence

[KozaK13]

"Where some states have an army, the Prussian Army has a state!"

- Voltaire

"...it was Sparta in the morning, Athens in the afternoon."

- Voltaire describing Prussia under Frederick II the Great

[Allu X]

You could have this one, as quoted in Sharpe;

"God is not on the side of the big battalions, but on the side of the best shots". - Voltaire

In reference to Sharpshooters (Riflemen).

[Flavius Silvanus]

Frederick liked to impress officials of foreign governments with his giants, so when he reviewed the guard, he frequently asked some of them to come along. One day he invited a French minister and an English ambassador to accompany him on his review.

As the ranks of giants marched before them, Frederick William asked the French minister if he thought an equal number of French soldiers would venture to engage with his Potsdam giants. The minister, with a politeness characterized by his nation, answered that it was impossible that men of ordinary stature would even consider such an attempt.

Turning to the English ambassador, the king put the same question to him.

To which the staid ambassador gave this measured reply: "I can not affirm that an equal number of my countrymen would beat them, but I think that I may safely say that half the number would try."

Can't remember who the ambassador was (can't find it anymore) but that has to be one of the very the best, most civilised and cutting retorts ever.

Was the man perhaps Irish!

Maybe not, els whe would’ve said “Two or three of a Saturday night might try”





.

:) :)


This is still a joke in the US Army, with the Marines or another Army Branch playing the part of the Prussians.

The punchline is...

There were two of them.

[Flavius Silvanus]

Frederick the Great:

“A crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in.”

“The greatest and noblest pleasure which men can have in this world is to discover new truths; and the next is to shake off old prejudices.”

“A German singer! I should as soon expect to get pleasure from the neighing of my horse.”

“He who defends everything defends nothing.”

"The most certain way of insuring victory is to march briskly and in good
order against the enemy, always endeavoring to gain ground."

"Without supplies no army is brave"

"Rascals, do you want to live forever?"
(Ihr Racker, wollt ihr ewig leben?)
- Frederick the Great, 1757.
When the guards hesitated at the battle of Kolin.

"By push of bayonets, no firing until you see the whites in their eyes!"

"Diplomacy without arms is like music without instruments."

"If my soldiers were to begin to think, not one would remain in the ranks."

"If I wished to punish a province, I would have it governed by philosophers."

[ThePianist]

I can remember no quotes on my own, but here is a very interesting collection of things called CIC on this website:

http://www.strategypage.com/cic/reader.asp?target=CIC01

Each article (CIC) has some usually funny military quotes plus some descriptions of special occurrences in battle (often 1800s).
The rest of the website writes current events as "military history of now", it may have some accurate information (second-tier or high tier) you would not find on the Web, but needs to be read with several grains of salt, because many or most of the article writers try to push the neoconservative view, which is BS and is founded on faulty BS assumptions.

[Elmar Bijlsma]

With so many quotes full of bravado and glory, I feel the following quote is appropriate. It is a WW I contribution from the British soldiers operating the Wipers Times that gives a more accurate and down to earth view on military matters.

To Subaltern: Yes, every junior officer may carry a Field Marshal's baton in his knapsack,
but we think you'll discard that to make room for an extra pair of socks before very long.

[scipiosgoblin]

The rest of the website writes current events as "military history of now", it may have some accurate information (second-tier or high tier) you would not find on the Web, but needs to be read with several grains of salt, because many or most of the article writers try to push the neoconservative view, which is BS and is founded on faulty BS assumptions.

Or the truth, depending on your point of view. Why don't we leave politics to the back room?

SG

[Nikos_Rouvelas]

"The right wing, where I stood, was exposed to and received all the enemy's fire ... I heard the bullets whistle, and, believe me, there is something charming in the sound."
George Washington

[Fisherking]

Never forget that no military leader has ever become great without audacity. If the leader is filled with high ambition and if he pursues his aims with audacity and strength of will, he will reach them in spite of all obstacles."
- Karl von Clausewitz

"The majority of people are timid by nature, and that is why they constantly exaggerate danger. All influences on the military leader, therefore, combine to give him a false impression of his opponent's strength, and from this arises a new source of indecision."
- Karl von Clausewitz

"War is the province of chance. In no other sphere of human activity must such a margin be left for this intruder. It increases the uncertainty of every circumstance and deranges the course of events."
- Karl von Clausewitz

"The best form of defense is attack."
- Karl von Clausewitz

[Nelson]

These are from George Washington. The last is prescient:

Nothing can be more hurtful to the service, than the neglect of discipline; for that discipline, more than numbers, gives one army the superiority over another.


Over grown military establishments are under any form of government inauspicious to liberty, and are to be regarded as particularly hostile to republican liberty.


Some day, following the example of the United States of America, there will be a United States of Europe.

[Fisherking]

Along the line of Washington:

Experience teaches us that it is much easier to prevent an enemy from posting themselves than it is to dislodge them after they have got possession.
George Washington

Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.
George Washington

Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples' liberty's teeth.
George Washington

Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.
George Washington

Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.
George Washington

And a famous quote you should enjoy!

"I have to follow them. I am their leader."
-Alexandre-Auguste Ledru-Rollin, Leader of the French Revolution of 1784

[Wladyslaw IV]

Andrew Jackson, early 19th century:

"If it were not for the viceroy of the United States, Tecumseh would be the leader of a great empire."