At first light, we perceived that the Prussians army had gone. It seems to have marched about midnight in the greatest silence and has taken the road to Löbau. Graf von Hohenzollern is following its rearguard with troops of hussars and 500 horse. The hussars have captured an aide-de-camp of the Prince of Prussia named Katzler; he gave himself up having mistakenly approached an Austrian post.

Today, the Austrian army took the new position that had been resolved upon at the Council-of-War yesterday. We put 700 men into the garrison of Zittau.

March of the Left Wing of the Army to Klein-Schönau

The Left Wing of the Army, who had remained on the far side of the Neisse, marched in two columns.

The 1st Column, comprising the infantry - Regiment Arenberg in the lead, crossed the first bridge of boats beneath the covered bridge and then encamped.

The 2nd Column, comprising the cavalry of the Left Wing marched to its right behind the infantry. It crossed the second bridge of boats and then encamped.

With their camp markers, each of the regiments of the Reserve Corps sent an officer, who subsequently guided then to their new camp.

His Royal Highness had previously transferred his Headquarters of to Klein-Schönau.

From General Nádasdy, we hear that the Prussians have abandoned the castle at Tetschen on the Elbe, and that they have withdrawn the 7,800 men who formed the garrison there. In that garrison their had been two companies of Regiment Willich, who had formerly been the Saxon Regiment Brühl. Those Saxons, who had attempted to mutiny, have been conducted by boat to Dresden, under escort.

I went to visit the camp of the Prince of Prussia. It was by no means unassailable in front with a superior force, and, moreover, even easier to attack and turn by its flanks, especially the right. His army had been encamped in a single line. Its right had rested on the Alt-Wasser or Alt-Neisse at the end of the village of Herwigsdorf. It ran from that village and the little stream in the dell extending to the left as far as the mountain and the wood that stands opposite Seifersdorf. There it made a flank along the brow of a hill. To the front of this position, the ground drops away gradually to the right towards the town of Zittau, leaving a large space in which it would be possible to form up in battle array. Towards the left, the slope of the ground is a little steeper: it ends in a ravine, which runs from Eckartsberg as far as Seifersdorf, behind which stood the camp of the Austrian army. This ground would not have been so easy to form on.

In order to turn the right flank of the Prussian position, it would have been necessary to march up-stream along the right bank of the Alt-Neisse and then advance onto the height immediately behind their right wing beneath Nieder-Oderwitz. From the right bank of the Alt-Neisse, it would have been possible to see the whole of the position of the right flank of the Prussian army; we would also be able to incommode it by cannon fire from that bank. Unfortunately, no one appeared to perceive this when it mattered.

To turn their left, an even greater detour would have been necessary. A good part of that journey would have been through woods on the lower slopes of a high mountain (now called the Königsholz), which stands behind their camp to the left of the highroad that runs from Zittau to Löbau.

The ground taken by the Prussian army would have been extremely advantageous for the Austrians, had they occupied it before the Prussians arrived. Then they would have been able to prevent the breakout and have stopped any aid reaching Zittau.

We believe that the King is on his way to join the Prince of Prussia. Truly, we had not dreamed that we would take Zittau before he was able to interfere with that attack.

More Journal of Horace St. Paul 1757

Part 1: Introduction (June 30-July 14)

Part 2: Introduction and July 15
July 16, 1757
July 17, 1757
July 18, 1757
July 19, 1757
July 20, 1757
July 21, 1757
July 22, 1757
July 23, 1757
July 24, 1757
July 25, 1757

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