The Cavaliers of Fortune; Or, British Heroes in Foreign WarsGrant, James
History
The Cavaliers of Fortune; Or, British Heroes in Foreign Wars
Grant, James
British -- Foreign countries; Great Britain -- History, Military
In 1757 a confederacy was completed to punish Frederick of Prussia for
his invasion of Saxony. France sent 80,000 men to the Rhine, under
the Marshal d'Estrees; 60,000 Russians threatened Livonia; the Swedes
gathered on the Pomeranian frontier; and Maria Theresa mustered 150,000
soldiers, the most of whom were stationed in Prague, under Prince
Charles of Lorraine and the Marshals Brown and Daun. The Austrians were
then formed into four divisions--one under Marshal Brown, at Budyn;
a second under the Duke d'Aremberg, at Egra; a third under Count
Konigsegg, at Richtenberg; a fourth under Marshal Daun, in Moravia.
Undeterred by this vast array against him, Frederick in April marched
straight upon Prague, and driving before him a column under Marshal
Schwerin, attacked Brown at Budyn, before Daun's division could join
him from Moravia. On finding his flank turned, Brown fell back upon the
Bohemian capital, and Frederick, leaving one division of his army under
Marshal Keith, followed him fast with the rest, and gave battle to the
Austrians on the 6th of May, at dawn in the morning.
The Imperialists under Marshal Brown were 80,000 strong; his left
wing rested on the Ziskberg towards Prague; his right on the hill
of Sterboli. In the front were steep and craggy mountains, which no
cavalry could climb or artillery traverse; but the deep vale at their
foot was lined by hussars and hardy Hungarian infantry. The battle was
commenced by Lieutenant-General the Prince of Schonaich assailing the
Austrian right with sixty-five squadrons of cavalry; a movement which
Brown skilfully repulsed by drawing off his cavalry from the left, and
overwhelming the prince by the united rush of one hundred and four
squadrons. Thus outflanked, they were repulsed, after two charges,
until General Zeithen hurled the Austrians back upon their infantry by
a magnificent charge of twenty squadrons of hussars.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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