Some Achieve Greatness 79reduced to trying desperately to evade the enemy, and saved from dis-
aster at Göding only by the lateness of the season. Eventually he settled
for authority to recruit the specified 24,000 men, comprising 18,000
infantry and 6000 cavalry, but even then it does not seem to have been
clearly agreed whether these were all to be new recruits or whether the
total was to include the existing Imperial forces.^18
Wallenstein did not receive his commission until after Tilly had been
despatched against Christian of Denmark, but he had not been sitting
idly while Vienna debated and delayed. His preparations were as far
advanced as the circumstances allowed – if not further – and in a remark-
ably short time he began to muster his forces. The place selected was
Eger, at the western extremity of Bohemia, where troops were already
starting to gather when Wallenstein arrived on 31 July 1625.^19 A month
later his new army was in Germany and heading towards Lower Saxony,
but the distance was long and marching was slow, so that it was mid-
October before he met up with Tilly south of Hanover, by which time
the main item on their agenda was winter quarters for their armies. Tilly
had made little progress against Christian, so that Wallenstein’s arrival
with reinforcements was welcome, but the actual number of troops he
brought is difficult to establish. It appears that 16,000 men mustered at
Eger, but other units, including those of the pre-existing Imperial army,
joined them at various stages, while Wallenstein continued to recruit
throughout the autumn and winter. Hence he was able to write to the
Spanish general Spinola that he hoped ‘to take the field in the com-
ing spring with fifty-something thousand men’, an impressive number
although the quality of some of their officers was another matter, caus-
ing Wallenstein to comment that if falcons were not available he would
have to hunt with ravens.^20
The creation of so large a force in so short a time was a major achieve-
ment, and one which seems to have surprised the emperor and his
advisers as much as it surprised Christian of Denmark, who knew little
about it until it was almost upon him. True to his promise, Wallenstein
financed its recruitment, which involved cash in hand for every man
who signed on, as well as its weapons, equipment, mustering and march
into Germany, without recourse to the Imperial treasury. To do this he
himself put up a large sum in cash and he borrowed a great deal more,
mostly with the help of de Witte, his banker associate from the coin
minting consortium. Those he appointed as colonels had to act as sub-
contractors in funding part of the costs of their regiments, while not
only Eger but towns along the way had to pay to avoid billeting and to
contribute in cash and kind to the upkeep of the army.