III. fect this union, the King of Pruffia, having re- CHAP. ceived á ftrong reinforcement of 32,000 men, under Prince Leopold of Anhalt Deffau, enter-ne ed Bohemia, and with the utmost celerity endea- 1742. voured to circumvent the motions of the Auftrians, and prevent their junction. His Pruffian majefty accomplished his intentions; and, having advice that Prince Charles was making for Prague, the king refolved to affemble his army at Chrudim, about forty miles S. E. of Prague; where, on the 13th of May, the Pruffian army entered the camp in three lines, and pitched their tents on the eminence of Chrudim; having its right wing towards a village called Medlefchiitz, and the left towards the rivulet called Chrudimka: but his majefty, being informed that the Auftrians were encamped at Setsch and Boganow, and began to make incurfions on the other fide the Elbe at Nimbourg, Podiebrad, and Pardubitz, where the Pruffian magazines were diftributed; and alfo that 500 of the Hungarian infantry, and about 3 or 4,000 huffars, had taken poffeffion of Czaflaw, a town thirty-five miles S. E. of Prague; the king, imagining Prince Charles intended to cut off his provifions, and prevent his junction with the French; or that the prince defigned to march towards Prague, where his majefty was apprized he held a fecret correfpondence among the principal lords and inhabitants: to fruftrate fuch defigns, his majefty, on the 15th of May, at the head of the van guard, confifting of ten battalions, ten fquadrons of dragoons, and ten fquadrons of huffars, marched directly through Hermanmieftitz on the hill of Chotiebors, leaving the command of the army to Prince Leopold of Anhalt, general of foot, with orders to folVOL. I. Eee low of Europe, PART low him the next day, fo foon as the waggon III. of bread arrived. The king was fcarcely got to the rifing grounds of Chotie bors, when he 1742. ranged his troops in a very good poft, and went out, to get intelligence of the Auftrians, with the huffars, upon an adjacent hill, where he diftinctly faw a camp, which he judged to be of nearly 7 or 8,000 men. This body of troops was the van of the Auftrian army; who, having mistaken the Pruffian van for the body of the army, drew back in the night, and joined their whole force: on this his Pruffian majefty fent orders to Prince Leopold, to march at break of day in order to go and incamp at Chotufitz, a village near Czaflaw, and to make himfelf mafter of that town; when Prince Leopold fent his majefty intelligence, that he had perceived the camp of the whole Auftrian army, and that the deferters had declared that Prince Charles of Lorrain was there with all his forces: on which his majefty returned for the army on the 17th. In the mean time Prince Charles received intelligence of these motions of his Pruffian majefty; and understanding that the king was making a forced march to reach Czaflaw, he came to a refolution to attack them; and for that purpofe quitted the camp at Willimow, left the baggage at Ranow, and on the 16th of May marched for Czaflaw, where he arrived, with the whole army, about two o'clock in the morning, and before Prince Leopold had been able to attack it, on account of his long march, and the darknefs of the night on his arrival at Chotufitz. Prince Charles received advice that the Pruffians had pofted themselves behind the village of Chotufitz, and that it was impoffible for them to avoid a battle on which, without the the leaft repofe, he began to draw up his troops CHAP. in order of battle, and advanced in excellent or- III. der to attack the Pruffians, THE Auftrian army confifted of fixty-two 1742. fquadrons of horfe, thirty-fix battalions of foot, befides the Croats, and the Seriners, four regiments of huffars, and two regiments of Rafcians, The Pruffian army confifted of thirty battalions of foot, fixty fquadrons of cuiraffiers and dragoons, and ten fquadrons of huffars. His Pruffian majefty, perceiving the Auftrians were marching up in lines, ordered Prince Leopold to leave his camp, to get to the rifing ground; to reinforce his firft line of foot; and to leave in the fecond line, the vacancy that was neceffary for the ten battalions and the ten fquadrons which the king was bringing with him. His majesty arrived in his poft half an hour after seven in the morning, just as the Austrians were approaching, and formed his cavalry in the form of a crutch, or a carpenter's fquare, on a hill; fo that it extended with a greater front than that of the Auftrian horfe. The Pruffian army was all ranged in battalia, in the most advantageous and regular difpofition: and the Auftrians, being advanced within 2,000 paces of the Pruffians, the latter began to cannonade them with their twenty-four pounders; and, notwithstanding the terrible execution of the Pruffian artillery, the first line of the Auftrians advanced in front with the utmost intrepidity. The Auftrian huffars were detached to harrafs the Pruffians; but meeting with repulfe, fell back on their body of referve, and put it in confufion; and a regiment, which covered the left wing, having been routed at the fame time by the Pruffians, was the occafion of difordering three Eee 2 other PART other Auftrian regiments. However the rest of III. the line, undifmayed at this accident, advanced with all imaginable bravery. Lieutenant-Gene1742. ral Buddenbrock charged at the head of the Pruffian cavalry, who quite overthrew and broke the first line of the Auftrians; when a thick duft arofe, and hindered the Pruffians from making the best of all their advantages. MajorGeneral Rottenbourg penetrated through the fecond line of the Auftrians, and was repulfed with lofs: while the cavalry of the fecond line of Auftrians, attacked the right wing of the Pruffians in flank, and caufed a few fquadrons to give ground. During this diforder the Auftrian horfe rallied, and attacked the Pruffian cavalry with fo violent a fhock, that they, in their turn, gave way to the force of the Auftrians, with confiderable lofs. In the mean time, the right wing of the Auftrian infanty pierced as far as the village of Chotufitz, where the Pruffians had pofted two battalions of the regiment of Schwerin, which the Auftrians attacked, fet fire to the village, and even pushed the Pruffians into their camp. This brought up the Pruffian horfe, who were followed by the Auftrian cavalry, where they engaged with the greatest obftinacy and fury: the troops on all fides behaved with furpriz ing refolution and bravery: the Pruffians, animated by the prefence of their royal leader, performed wonders; and the Auftrians, ambitious of exerting themfelves beneath the eye of their illuftrious general, acted as became their reputation. The battle was now become general; the two armies were enveloped with fmoke and duft; the day was obfcured; and fcarce could the brave man tell where to direct his fword for proper execution; the difplofion of the musketry at at once ftifled the shouts of the vanquishers, and CHAP. the groans of the vanquifhed; fear was banifhed, III. and nothing but zeal and ardour, for the honour of the day, reigned in the hearts of all the com- 1742. batants. The battle was long dubious; fortune was now favourable to the Auftrians, now inclined to the Pruffians, and victory hovered over them in fufpence, uncertain where to bestow the wreathe of glory. At length the Auftrian cavalry gave way; and the Pruffian regiments of Prince William and Waldow cut the whole regiment of Vettetz to pieces, which, however, greatly difgarnished the left wing of the Pruffians: but the Auftrian infantry pufhed on very fuccefsfully, and entered the Pruffian camp; where, thinking the whole army of the Pruffians fled before them, instead of improving this advantage, they imprudently fell to plunder the camp; and neither the entreaties nor menaces of their officers, could prevail on them to defift. This gave the Pruffian infantry an opportunity to rally themselves, and, fupported by their cavalry, they returned to the charge, and vigorously attacked the Auftrians, when they were thus unprepared for a defence: this fatal incident decided the battle: Prince Charles faw the confufion of his men, he ordered a retreat, and conducted it with fo much prudence and fecurity, that he acquired more honour in the well concerted meafures for the prefervation of his men, than the King of Pruffia did by maintaining the field of battle; who himself did the Auftrians the juftice to acknowledge, that their lofing the battle was neither for want of refolution or courage. THE battle lafted from eight in the morning till noon, when the Auftrians retired behind the rivulet of Czaflaw, where they drew up again in order |