Rascals Would You Live Forever

Frederick reportedly shouted this at his retreating Guards at the Battle of Kolin on June 18, 1757 — his first major defeat of the Seven Years' War. Outnumbered 54,000 to 34,000 by Austrian forces under Marshal Daun, Frederick had attacked overconfidently after a string of victories; the assault became a series of piecemeal frontal attacks that cost Prussia 13,733 men. The quote's dark gallows humor — urging soldiers forward into lethal fire — became legendary as an expression of Frederick's personal courage and refusal to accept retreat. Within months he had recovered to win the decisive battles of Rossbach and Leuthen, reversing the war's course.