Journal of Horace St. Paul
1757: Confrontation

August 18, 1757

Translated and Edited With Additional Materials By Neil Cogswell


During the night, General Beck, at the head of no more than 60 Croats, advanced through the wood on the Prussian right. Whilst General Draskowitz engaged the Prussian outposts, General Beck attempted to penetrate as far as the baggage with the intention of setting it on fire. Although the Croats did not achieve their principal objective, they killed many Prussians and took some prisoners. This alarmed the whole of the Prussian right, occasioning ample opportunity for desertion; amongst those who came across, there are more than 80 Saxons.

At first light, Marshal Daun took up his post in front of the first line. The Prussian army had not changed its position since yesterday evening: its right rested on the wood at Wittgendorf, and its left at Hirschfelde; in addition, the corps that had crossed the Neisse remained encamped on the heights between Ronau and Seckendorff. Deserters assure us that the Prussians have now posted 5 battalions in the wood on their right to secure them against the insults of the Croats.

After inspecting the front of the army, His Royal Highness considered it appropriate to build several entrenchments and epaulments to cover the artillery that he wished to bring forward to impede any Prussian attempt to cross the Wittgendorf ravine. Brigadier de Riverson of the French Corps of Artillery and Engineers assisted in tracing out these works. The first line of the Austrians was also drawn back somewhat from the banks of the ravine to allow the Prussians space to form two lines on this side of it, if they should wish to try. The flˆches covering the artillery will impede them from forming on the slope in front of the village.

General Lacy, having gone out to reconnoitre near the village of Wittgendorf on the far side of the ravine, has been slightly wounded in the thigh.

General Anton Graf Colloredo has set about making an abattis to give more security to the right flank of the Reserve Corps that he commands. Having redressed the line of his troops, which had been crooked, he has also found the means to form several battalions into a second line.

News from Dresden tells us that Prince Moritz of Dessau was yesterday once again on the other side of the Elbe with his entire corps.

More Journal of Horace St. Paul 1757

Back to Seven Years War Asso. Journal Vol. XI No. 4 Table of Contents
Back to Seven Years War Asso. Journal List of Issues
Back to Master Magazine List
© Copyright 2000 by James J. Mitchell

This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com