* Cologne, February 18. Windischgrätz has a special misfortune. He could have become one of the greatest generals of the century, if the most unexpected accidents had not constantly befallen him. Schwanbeck already proved that he would have performed incomparable deeds of heroism, if only the Hungarians had once stood their ground against him. But the worst thing that has happened to the great Windischgrätz is only now being revealed by an imperial-royal semi-official correspondence in the A.A.Z. [Augsburg Allgemeine Zeitung]. In the supplement to the aforementioned newspaper of February 15 of this year, it literally states the following:

"Regarding the operations of Prince Windisch-Grätz in the month of January, I must recall that eight army columns were destined in mid-December to march into the interior of Hungary and were at that time 10 to 12 days' march from Buda-Pesth. This disposition of the Field Marshal was made on the assumption of a sensible conduct of war. The Magyars have made this assumption worthless by placing a fabulous superiority everywhere, only not where it could have given the favorable outcome – if such an outcome was even possible. Of the columns to which Windisch-Grätz gave the rendezvous before the Hungarian capitals, only those of the Banus, Field Marshal Lieutenant Wrbna, and the reserve corps under the command of the Field Marshal could fulfill the orders given; the Magyar superiority prevented the other troop detachments from obeying them."

Windischgrätz had counted on the Magyars following a "sensible conduct of war." Had they followed this sensible conduct of war, Windischgrätz would have defeated them decisively. But now they place "a fabulous superiority everywhere," "only not where" it could be of any use. And as a result of this boundless unreason, all the dispositions of the great Windischgrätz come to naught.

Precisely because the Magyars committed blunder after blunder, and because against stupidity the gods themselves struggle in vain, even the most learned combinations of Windischgrätz have foundered on their strategic ignorance!

Did ever a man have such bad luck
As Mayor Tschech –

and Field Marshal Windischgrätz, who could not defeat his opponents simply because they were too stupid for him?!