The Family Vincius – Thorn Page: 1 / 290 René Jean-Paul Dewil The Family Vincius Copyright: René Jean-Paul Dewil © Number of Words: 160908 January - October 2019 The Family Vincius – Thorn Page: 2 / 290 Thorn 1840- 1880 Copyright: René Jean-Paul Dewil © Number of Words: 160908 January - October 2019 The Family Vincius – Thorn Page: 3 / 290 Copyright Clause Copyright © René Jean-Paul Dewil 2019 René Jean-Paul Dewil is identified as the sole author of this work. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be altered without the written permission of the author. The book may be copied in electronic or other forms for personal use only. It may not be printed, introduced in any retrieval system, electronic or otherwise, photocopied or otherwise recorded without the prior written permission of the author. The only system where the e-book may be retrieved from is the Internet website www.theartofpainting.be, which holds the only and original text acknowledged by the author. This publication remains under copyright. ‘The Family Vincius - Thorn’ is a work of fiction. Therefore, all the names and the figures of the novel, except for the historical figures of the rulers and military leaders, are purely the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, or to places of interest, is completely coincidental. The characters and events are totally fictional. Copyright: René Jean-Paul Dewil © Number of Words: 160908 January - October 2019 The Family Vincius – Thorn Page: 4 / 290 Table of Contents Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................... 4 The Characters ........................................................................................................................... 6 The Leaders of the Nations ...................................................................................................... 10 Thorn ....................................................................................................................................... 13 Part I. Prussia at Peace .......................................................................................................... 13 The City of Thorn. 1845 ..................................................................................................... 13 The Immigrants .............................................................................................................. 15 Max Vincius and Thorn ................................................................................................. 20 Ezra Vincevicius and his Grandchildren. 1845 and earlier ........................................... 32 Ezra’s Death .................................................................................................................... 32 Trade in Thorn................................................................................................................ 37 Rebekah and Esther ....................................................................................................... 41 Sarah Benavicius. 1839 ...................................................................................................... 51 The Decades of Illusions. 1840-1860 ................................................................................. 67 The German Issues ......................................................................................................... 67 The Uprisings of 1848 and 1849. ................................................................................... 72 The Schleswig-Holstein Crisis ....................................................................................... 79 After the German Revolutions ...................................................................................... 82 An Austrian-Prussian Conflict ...................................................................................... 85 The Crimean War ........................................................................................................... 86 The French-Austrian War ............................................................................................. 91 Germany and Thorn ....................................................................................................... 92 The Vincius of Thorn. 1860. .............................................................................................. 93 Survival ............................................................................................................................ 94 The Family of Max Vincius............................................................................................ 97 Asa Vincius .................................................................................................................... 102 Max and Sara ................................................................................................................ 102 A forbidden Relationship. 1863....................................................................................... 110 Copyright: René Jean-Paul Dewil © Number of Words: 160908 January - October 2019 The Family Vincius – Thorn Page: 5 / 290 Part II. Prussia at War ........................................................................................................ 128 The Polish Rebellion and the Second Schleswig War. 1860-1865 ................................ 128 Haim Vincius as a Prussian Officer. 1850s................................................................. 128 Max Vincius’ Second Marriage ................................................................................... 131 The Polish Uprising of 1863-1864................................................................................ 134 The Smuggling of Weapons in Thorn ......................................................................... 142 The Second Schleswig War .......................................................................................... 147 Haim Vincius. 1860-1870 ................................................................................................. 154 Leah Goldstern ............................................................................................................. 154 The Prussian-Austrian War ........................................................................................ 168 The Battle of Königgrätz .............................................................................................. 182 The Road to Vienna and after ..................................................................................... 207 The Prussian Campaign against the allied German Forces ..................................... 211 In Thorn and Berlin. 1866-1867 ...................................................................................... 215 Leah Goldstern ............................................................................................................. 215 Esther Kleinberger ....................................................................................................... 219 Max Vincius................................................................................................................... 223 Mikhael Vincius. 1865-1875 ............................................................................................ 230 The second great Conflict. The Franco-German War. 1870-1871 .............................. 253 The Foreplay ................................................................................................................. 253 The Beginning of the War ............................................................................................ 257 The War in the East of France. Gravelotte. ............................................................... 259 The Continuation of the War ...................................................................................... 266 Sedan .............................................................................................................................. 271 After Sedan .................................................................................................................... 273 During the Paris Siege .................................................................................................. 275 The Army Movements around the Loire River and elsewhere ................................ 277 The last Battles .............................................................................................................. 279 The End of the War ...................................................................................................... 281 In Thorn. 1875 .................................................................................................................. 284 Author’s Notes .................................................................................................................. 289 Copyright: René Jean-Paul Dewil © Number of Words: 160908 January - October 2019 The Family Vincius – Thorn Page: 6 / 290 The Characters Ezra Vincevicius 1770-1845 Married to Rebekah Munkacs in 1790 Rebekah Munkacs 1772-1848 Married to Ezra Vincevicius Asa Vincius 1790-1860 Married to Leah Perlman in 1814, son of Ezra Vincevicius Leah Perlman 1798-1880 Married to Asa Vincius in 1814 Rebekah Vincius 1816-1903 Married to Samuel Klaipsevicius in 1836, daughter of Asa Vincius Esther Vincius 1818-1863 Married to Finkel Kaunavicius in 1836, daughter of Asa Vincius Max Vincius 1820-1900 Married to Sara Benavicius