Journal of Horace St. Paul
1757: Confrontation

August 19, 1757

Translated and Edited With Additional Materials By Neil Cogswell


Spies reported that the Prussians have made a detachment of 2 to 3,000 men, both infantry and cavalry, to go to occupy Gorlitz. We later confirmed that this detachment of 7 to 8 battalions had left on the 18th at about 6 o'clock in the evening. It had marched towards Ostritz with a great number of waggons. We are also assured that, during the last two or three days, they have been defiling their equipages through Rothenburg towards Sagan.

The Corps of General Winterfeldt, which had crossed the Neisse, poses a small threat. His Royal Highness Prince Charles of Lorraine wished to attempt to take them in flank and rear with the Corps of General Nádasdy, whilst the Reserve Corps under the orders of Graf Colloredo attacks them frontally in three columns. As a result, the officers who were to execute this design went out to reconnoitre the ground; they found that the proposed enterprise would have been almost infallible.

Unfortunately, in their view, the Austrians should have made this attack on the morning of the 18th, but, because it now appeared that the Prussian corps had been augmented during the night of 18th/19th, many people believed it now to be 18,000 strong. Six battalions, under the orders of the Marquis Clerici, crossed the Neisse and deployed in the gap between the Reserve Corps and the cavalry of General O'Donnell. They form a flank dominating the meadows along the bank of the river in front of the Right Wing of the army. The works ordered and traced out yesterday on the right, left and centre of the Austrian army were completed.

Three Saxon gunners, having found the means to escape from the Prussians, came across to give themselves up at the Austrian camp. According to them, as well as the regimental cannon, the King of Prussia has with him: 10 24-pounders, 10 25-pounder mortars, 10 howitzers and 27 12-pounder cannon.

After nightfall, a Prussian cornet came over from the Corps of General Winterfeldt. He had been obliged to desert because of the report of a duel that he had with one of his superiors, as a result of which he was likely to be sent to Spandau. Since he had performed the functions of aide to a major of a regiment, he claimed to be privy to the secret orders given to the senior officers of the Prussian army. According to those orders: at nightfall, the equipages are to take the road to Gorlitz; and all the Prussian troops are to hold themselves in readiness to march at midnight.

More Journal of Horace St. Paul 1757

Part 4: Introduction (August 20-September 7, 1757)

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