OCTOBER 5th

This morning, General Count Nadasdy came to report to His Royal Highness about everything that had been happening around Schweidnitz and receive his orders. He then returned to open the siege of that place. We believe that the Prussian garrison there is 8,000 men strong, but we hear that part of the forage, oats and barley in the magazine is mouldy. We hear that General Fouque has withdrawn to Glatz to take command there.

The artillery coming from Vienna and from Olmutz has joined together at Koniggratz; that coming from Prague is already at Trautenau. Brigadier de Riverson has returned from Vienna bringing with him the result of the Council of War held to discuss the subject of the siege; the Prince de Soubise has promised to send him from his army three engineers to work under him at the siege.

The Generals and Lieutenant-Generals have been asked to give in writing their thoughts about certain matters that have been proposed, but, as they have been engaged on their word of honour to keep those matters secret, nobody knows the questions that have been put to them.

OCTOBER 6th

Several volunteers have started to take their leave. The inclement weather is making campaigning disagreeable. The Prince von Pfalz-Zweybrucken departed for Vienna. The Princes Sulkowsky, Galitzin, Bielaselwski and several others have already gone.

The arrival of Brigadier Riverson brought about a long conference between His Royal Highness and Marshal Daun at which Brigadier Riverson assisted. The outcome of this discussion was to issue orders to Count Nadasdy to tighten the blockade of Schweidnitz and to prepare fascines, gabions et cetera and to employ the peasants to do this if necessary.

We expect the arrival of the Wurttemberg troops outside Schweidnitz on the 11th of this month. It is supposed that the trenches will be opened the next day.

From Saxony, we hear that the King of Prussia has ordered Prince Moritz of Anhalt-Dessau to rejoin him immediately with the troops under his command. The King has already abandoned Erfurt, leaving Colonel Mayr in that town to delay the French advanced guard.

Today, the Reigning Duke of Wurttemberg and Prince Ludwig had arranged an interview with their brother Prince Eugen, who is serving with the Prussians. They went to the agreed spot but Prince Eugen did not meet them. Instead, he sent word that he was unexpectedly indisposed. The Duke will depart the day after tomorrow to go and meet his troops.

OCTOBER 7th

Despite the good manners of Marshal Daun, who, at the request of the Prince of Bevern had returned to him four officer prisoners as an exceptional gesture, the Prussian advanced posts stopped an Austrian trumpeter who was carrying letters to Prince Eugen von Wurttemberg from his brother the Reigning Duke. Because of this, His Royal Highness has directed that retaliatory action will be taken at the first opportunity that presents itself.

1,200 sick horses have been sent to the rear to endeavour to cure them. In exchange, we received 900, who had been resting in Moravia since a part of the cavalry retired there after the Battle of Prague.

200 workmen have been detailed for tonight for in front of the village of Neukirch in order to construct defences opposite the several retrenched batteries that the Prussians have constructed at Schmiedefeld.

Prince Ludwig von Wurttemberg went to reconnoitre the advanced posts near Gross-Mochber. There, he had the satisfaction of encountering his brother Prince Eugen of the Prussian service and talked with him for about a quarter of an hour. Prince Eugen had wished to attend the earlier meeting, but the Prince of Bevern had made him say that he had a fever.

15 or 16 Croats and hussars have been taken prisoner by the garrison of Schweidnitz.

A man, sent from Leipzig to His Royal Highness, brought the news that that there had been an action between the army of the King of Prussia and that of the French. The outcome had been to the advantage of the latter. He added that a whole Prussian battalion had gone over to the French; we presume that this was an ex-Saxon battalion. What makes this affair more probable is the certain information that we had already received to the effect that the King of Prussia had retired towards Naumburg and Weissenfels and that Prince Moritz of Dessau had marched precipitately to join him without leaving other than a small garrison in Torgau. The troops at Leipzig had simultaneously received the order to hold themselves ready to march. Major Bosfort, detached from the Corps of General Hadik, has taken post with some hussars at Liebenwerda, Wahrenbruck and Pbhnitz on the right bank of the Elbe opposite Torgau.

OCTOBER 8th

At 7 o'clock this morning, the companies of grenadiers who had been encamped behind the Schweidnitz struck their tents and marched to the right of the army to occupy the ground between the villages of Strachwitz and GrossMochber.

The interview that the Princes of Wurttemberg were to have had this morning did not take place. Prince Eugen, in the service of Prussia, was suffering a recurrence of his fever. However, at the rendezvous the Reigning Duke found the Duke of Bevern and several other generals with whom he had a long discussion that passed with much politeness on both sides.

Since the intention to besiege Schweidnitz is becoming more serious, 6 companies of artillerymen have been sent from the army to join those coming from Bohemia,

The Reigning Duke of Wurttemberg has sent away half of his immense train of equipages.

200 workmen are being employed to construct two types of redoubt beside the village of Neukirch to oppose the Prussian retrenchments that have been built at Schmiedefeld.

A courier from Vienna carrying'dispatches for His Royal Highness has, at the same time, brought with him the Grand Cross of the Order of St Louis for the Comte de Montazet that was immediately placed in his hands. He has been awarded this honour in consideration of his services at the attack on the Jakelsberg near Gorlitz on the 7`s of the last month.

OCTOBER 9th

His Royal Highness judges it proper to cut off the supply of food to the Prussians in Breslau. He also intends to procure for the supply of his army that part of Silesia that lies beyond the Oder. During the night, he threw a bridge, composed of 23 or 24 tinplate pontoons, across that river near the village of Sandberg. He has sent across a detachment of hussars and Croats from the Corps of General Beck. Those troops have occupied the the wood on the far bank and made several Prussian hussars prisoner. This detachment has also carried off 39 beef cattle and several wagons of hay, that it has sent to our camp. They have started to build a bridgehead and several cannon have been across to help defend it. A pontoon bridge has also been thrown across in front of Klein Masselwitz at the confluence of the Lohe and the Oder. Croats have been pushed into the wood there between the two rivers in order to drive back to their camp the jagers who had considerably incommoded the Austrian advanced posts.

The Duke of Wurttemberg left this morning to go to meet his troops near Schweidnitz. General Nadasdy has sent word that he has been unable to complete the investment of that place because he does not have sufficient infantry but that deficiency will be remedied as soon as the Wurttemberg troops arrive.

OCTOBER 10th

Marshal Daun went at first light to reconnoitre the ground on the far side of the Oder. He went as far as the windmill at Ransern. Since the bridge could easily have come under cannon fire from the Prussians, Marshal Daun ordered that it be moved several yards further down river, where the stream made a curve that gave it some cover.

A corporal of Regiment Esterhazy had attempted to desert from the advanced posts at Masselwitz at the same time that the Prussian jagers were pursuing two of their grenadiers who had made a similar resolution. This brought on a lively exchange of fire between the jagers and our Croats, who managed to recapture the corporal of Regiment Esterhazy and facilitate the escape of the two Prussian grenadiers, This fusillade brought to the scene several officers of whom Freiherr von Vettes - Colonel-Commandant of Regiment Archduke Carl - was killed.

We have received news that Colonel Loudon has surprised a Prussian cavalry regiment capturing 30 to 40 horses and a lieutenant and 30 men.

OCTOBER 11th

The death of Freiherr von Vettes, an officer of great distinction who is much regretted, brought about a general order that officers should not go in front of the vedettes and advanced posts.

Two French engineers, sent from the army of Prince Soubise, have arrived. They are to serve under Brigadier Riverson, who is to direct the attacks at the siege of Schweidnitz. It is said that the Duke d'Arenberg is to command the troops in the trenches.

From Lusatia we hear that General Marschall has marched to Bautzen with the small army under his command. We expect that he will act on the right bank of the Elbe in concert with the Prince de Soubise. General Hadik, who had been at Bischofswerda with the main body of his corps, has pushed some detachments into Brandenburg

OCTOBER 12th

General Beck has thrown a bridge across the small river Wieda in order to push his light troops towards Wohlau and Auras.

Seeing that the heavy artillery is not coming forward as rapidly as we had expected, Freiherr von Netolitzky yesterday took the road to Bohemia. He will attend to repairing the roads and procure victuals and provisions for the army in greater abundance than it has enjoyed up to now.

His Royal Highness and Marshal Daun rode out together in front of the Right Wing of the army to reconnoitre the ground.

His Royal Highness and the Marshal then had a long conference with the Duke of Arenberg and Brigadier Riverson about the forthcoming siege of Schweidnitz. We do not doubt that the former will command the troops whilst the latter will direct the attacks. We believe also that the six regiments - Kaiser, Neipperg, Botta, Leopold Daun, Nikolaus Esterhazy and Arenberg - are destined to join the other troops at the siege. The Wurttemberg troops arrived outside Schweidnitz yesterday; a major of the Staff came to present a list of those troops to His Royal Highness. It has been decided that the soldiers to be employed on digging the trenches at the siege will be paid 12 kreuzers a day.

A Saxon gentleman has arrived to solicit the execution of a project that had been presented and approved several weeks ago. This is concerned with the total deliverance of Saxony, He reports that the Prussians have abandoned the town of Pirna and retired behind the walls of the adjacent Sonnenstein. They have also withdrawn all the troops based at Dresden behind the fortifications there. He says also that the troops commanded by Prince Moritz of Anhalt-Dessau, who wish to join the King of Prussia, have been cut off by the Austrian troops who form a part of the Army of the Prince de Soubise and have been obliged to retire to Leipzig.

OCTOBER 13th

General Marschall has sent word that he has arrived at Bautzen, where he awaits further orders. Those orders have already been dispatched to him and also to General Hadik. Additional copies of those orders have been sent in the care of the Saxon gentleman who set off back to Saxony immediately.

From Warsaw, we learn that a certain Mentzhel, who was employed in the Bureau of Foreign Affairs, has been arrested. Unhappily, it appears that, since 1752, he had been in receipt of an annual pension of 100 ducats from the King of Prussia for which he communicated to that monarch everything that passed in the Saxon Cabinet. Further, he had also given to Freiherr von Mahlzan, a Minister of the King of Prussia, beeswax impressions of the keys of the archives.

OCTOBER 14th

Late yesterday evening, a courier arrived from Vienna whose message brought about a Council-of-War this morning attended by the senior generals and held in the tent of Graf Colloredo.

His Royal Highness and Marshal Daun went to the other side of the Oder and across the Lohe in order to reconnoitre the Prussians. The hussars, who were acting as their escort, carried off the wagon of a sutler and three peasant carts full of supplies. According to deserters, these wagons belonged to some battalions that had reached Breslau yesterday.

600 workmen have been ordered to go to the Artillery Park in order to make fascines. Another 250 had been commanded yesterday to assemble in front of Regiment Esterhazy; there they found the officers destined to guide them to the points where they were to make roads and bridges.

Any officers who have knowledge of the roads in and around Breslau and on the far side of the Oder are to report to the Headquarters of His Royal Highness Prince Charles of Lorraine.

Journal of Horace St. Paul 1757 Part 7

October 5-14, 1757
October 15-24, 1757
October 25-31, 1757
November 1-16, 1757

More Journal of Horace St. Paul 1757

Part 1: Introduction (June 30-July 14)
Part 2: Introduction (July 15-July 25)
Part 3: Introduction (July 26-August 19)
Part 4: August 20-September 7)
Part 5: September 7-September 13)
Part 7: October 5-November 16)

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