Author was despatched to York's headquarters with two letters, one was
from General d'Auvray, the Chief of the Staff of Wittgenstein's army, to
General Diebitsch, showing the arrangements made to cut off York's corps
from Macdonald (this was necessary in order to give York a plausible
excuse for seceding from the French); the other was an intercepted
letter from Macdonald to the Duke of Bassano. With regard to the former
of these, the Author says, "it would not have had weight with a man like
York, but for a military justification, if the Prussian Court should
require one as against the French, it was important."

The second letter was calculated at the least to call up in General
York's mind all the feelings of bitterness which perhaps for some days
past bad been diminished by the consciousness of his own behaviour
towards the writer.

As the Author entered General York's chamber, the latter called out to
him, "Keep off from me; I will have nothing more to do with you; your
d----d Cossacks have let a letter of Macdonald's pass through them,
which brings me an order to march on Piktrepohnen, in order there to
effect our junction. All doubt is now at an end; your troops do not
come up; you are too weak; march I must, and I must excuse myself from
further negotiation, which may cost me my head." The Author said that be
would make no opposition to all this, but begged for a candle, as he
had letters to show the General, and, as the latter seemed still to
hesitate, the Author added, "Your Excellency will not surely place me in
the embarrassment of departing without having executed my commission."
The General ordered candles, and called in Colonel von Roeder, the chief
of his staff, from the ante-chamber. The letters were read. After a
pause of an instant, the General said, "Clausewitz, you are a Prussian,
do you believe that the letter of General d'Auvray is sincere, and that