A Hajdú-Bihar Megyei Levéltár évkönyve 23. 1996 (Debrecen, 1996)
Tanulmányok - Bényei Miklós: Széchenyi István, a bihari katona. II. rész (1823)
118 Bényei Miklós: Széchenyi István, a bihari katona. II. rész. Lembergben megkapta az értesítést szabadságolásáról és egy hét múl- va, november 13-án reggel már Bécsben volt. Miután az őrnagyi ranggal kapcsolatos vágyai nem teljesültek, kitartott elhatározása mellett: századosként valóban nem vonult be többé a hadseregbe. Édesanyja halála - 1824. január 20-án - siettette a döntő lépést: 1824. május 4-én benyújtotta a kilépési nyilatkozatot. Kérelmének elbírálása közel két évig elhúzódott, a Hofkriegsrat csak 1826. március 24-én engedélyezte a kvietálást rendfokozatának megtartása nélkül. Majd április 15-én törölték a 4., Hessen-Homburg huszárezred tiszti létszámából.171 De ekkorra már megkezdődött Széchenyi István gróf életének egy új, közéleti szakasza. Széchenyi István, the Bihar soldier. Pert II. Miklós Bényei Captain Széchenyi István, after an absence of more than one and a half years, returned to the Hessen-Homburg calvary regiment, in Bihar county. His squadron was stationed at Diószeg. Although he was less and less interested in this task, he performed his military duties conscientiously, became reconciled to his commanders and made further unsuccessful attempts to win the rank of major. He lived modestly, thriftily and apparently contentedly in the small country town. He affected indifference and resignation, but hidden behind the mask was a fencing, seeking spirit, struggling with itself and its surroundings; his health also was variable. He thought about Vienna and his beloved very much, and exchanged numerous letters with his acquaintances and friends there. His pressing debts and serious financial situation demanded that he paid attention to his financial affairs; the seventeen, unpublished letters he wrote to his estate manager and the visits made to the local estates gave indication of the careful farmer of the future. His interest in politics similarly increased, and he made wide scale enquiries into the conflicts of the royal and county orders, but at this time he had still not taken a stand on questions influencing the fate of the nation. Among his reading material, works on philosophy, history and sheep breeding came to the fore; particularly he read many of Voltaire's works. On the 6th September Szécheny marched with his squadron to Derecske, here they held the autumn exercise lasting for one month. And when the command arrived whereby the Hessen-Homburg regiment was to be re-deployed to Tarnopol in Galicia, he decided to resign from the armed forces. On the 6th of October they started on the long march, and after this Count Széchenyi István in reality relinquished his official rank and retired. 170 170 Ács, 1994. 243-267. p. 171
