faid, in memory of his majefty. This was a fort of taking very different from pillage.

They ftaid in the city four days, and hearing that the king, apprehenfive of this ftroke, was moving to the relief of his capital, they quitted it on the 13th of October; and having wafted the whole country round for a vast extent, and driven away all the cattle and horfes they could find, retreated by different routes out of Brandenburgh, leaving the people ftill trembling under the alarm, and hardly yet certain of their fafety.

We do by no means undertake to authenticate the ravages which the Pruffian accounts charged upon the Auftrians and their allies, in this incurfion; nor whether they may not have been in general much exaggerated, or in fome cafes abfolutely feigned. We have abundant rea

fon to fufpect the exact veracity of many pieces of that nature, which have been published on all fides; and which are but too frequently a fort of ftate-libels, where the powers at war, not content to deftroy each other in the field, purfue their adverfaries reputation, and endeavour mutually to paint each other as monfters equally devoid of juftice and compaffion. Indeed, if we were to give credit to all the writings of this kind that have appeared, it were hard to fay which of the parties have by their conduct brought the greateft difgrace upon human nature. It is, however, certain, that the country of Brandenburgh fuffered more fe-. verely on this occafion than the city of Berlin. An ill-difciplined army is always moft furious in its retreat, and the country had made no conditions.

THE king of Pruffia at laft faw his capital taken by his moft cruel enemies, and put to ranfom; his native country was wafted; they took uptheir quarters in his palaces: but this was far from the whole of his misfortunes. When gen. Hulfen marched to cover Brandenburg, there remained no Pruffian army in Saxony. So that the Imperial army on their return from Berlin, within a fhort time, and with little oppofition, made themfelves matters of Leipfick, Torgau, Meiffen, and at laft of Wirtemberg; in which city

The

they took the grand magazine of the Fruffians immenfely ftored. The king was now to1508. tally driven out of Saxony, in which he had no longer a fingle place.

M. Stainville with a detachment of Broglio's army, as foon as Wangenheim had been obliged to repafs the Wefer (as we have related in the feventh chapter) pushed into the king of Pruffia's dominions on that fide, and laid the city and duchy of Haiberttadt under contribution. In the eastern Pomerania, the Ruffians had invefted Colberg both by land

and

and fea, and preffed that city with a clofe and unremitted fiege. The king could fcarcely hope to relieve it. In the Western Pomerania, the Swedes urged forward with uncommon vigour, hoping to partake in the plunder of Berlin; and they advanced with fuccefs. In Silefia, the king had no fooner began his march to the northward, than baron Laudohn profited of his abfence to rush again into that country, and to inveft the ftrong and important fortrefs of Cofel. Whilft the king's dominions were thus attacked in fo many parts, he was himself attended every step of his march by the fuperior army of count Daun, who moved along with him, and watched him with the moft attentive vigilance. His condition feemed extremely to resemble that to which he had been reduced in the autumn immediately preceding the battle of Rofbach. In Silefia, his condition was at that time worfe; but he was then in the poffeffion of Saxony, of which in this campaign he was wholly deprived.

Saxony was, however, ftill his great object, and knowing that the enemy had evacuated Brandenburg on his approach, he left that country on his right, and continued his march to the Elbe, which he paffed on the 25th of October. M. Daun paffed it the fame day. The two champions were to engage once more for that fo often contended prize; but now every difadvantage was on the fide of the king of Pruffia, who had no longer any place' of ftrength in that country, and all the magazines he had amaffed were in the hands of the enemy. But being joined by his generals Hulfen and P. Eugene of Wirtemberg, with the corps under their command, he

advanced up the Elbe, whilft M. Daun fell back to cover Leipfic and Torgau; but finding the Pruflians directed their march towards the Elbe, he encamped within reach of Torgau, one part of his army extending to the Elbe, by which he was covered on that fide, and whilft he was protected on every other quarter by ponds, hills, and woods, it was impoffible to choose a more advantageous fituation, in which above 80,000 men were pofted with every precaution that could be taken by a weak army in the most unlucky pofition.

The king of Pruffia was extremely fenfible of the ftrength, the advantageous posture, and the precautions of M. Daun; he could have no hope of drawing that wary commander from his poft; and yet he faw a neceffity of fighting him even there. The winter was now far advanced. His troops were extremely haraffed by fuch long and rapid marches; and he had no place for their winter quarters but his own country, already wafted by the enemies incurfions; and here ftraitened for fubfiftence, cut off from all power of recruiting, he was to expect to be attacked, as it were, in a narrow corner, by the combined force of fo'many powerful and exafperated enemies.

In thefe circumftances he was refolved to come to a battle. He caused his army to be informed that he was to lead them to a most defperate attempt, that his affairs required it, and that he was determined to conquer or die in the expected engagement. They unanimoufly answered, that they would die along with him.

Animated by this deciaration he began his march;

3 Nov,

but

but having taken a refolution as daring as could be dictated by defpair, be made all the difpofitions with as much skill and care as could be fuggefted by the moft guarded prudence. He divided his army into three columns. Gen. Hulfen with one was to take poft in a wood that lay on the left of the Auftrian army, and had orders not to move until he found the rest of the Pruffians engaged; general Ziethen was to charge on the right; the great attack in front was to be made by the king in perfon. The king had difpofed his forces in fuch a manner, that either his right or left muft take the enemy in rear and clofe them in, fo as to disable them from undertaking any thing against the part where he intended to effect his principal attack. This was the king's difpofition.

M. Daun, as foon as he perceived that the king of Pruffia was serious in his refolution of fighting, to preyent confufion, fent all his baggage over the Elbe, acrofs which he threw three bridges, to be ready in cafe a retreat thould be found neceffary. At the fame time he caufed Torgau to be evacuated. And then extending his first line to a village falled Zinne on the left, he stretched it to another called Grofwitz on the right; fupporting the right of his fecond line upon the Elbe.

In this difpofition he was found when, about two o'clock in the afternoon, the king begun his attack, and was received with the fire of two hundred pieces of cannon, which were difpofed along the Auftrian front. Three times the Pruffians were led on; they perfevered in their attacks with uncommon refolution, but were every ime repulfed and broken with a

moft terrible flaughter. The king at length ordered a fresh body of his cavalry to advance, which at firft compelled the Auftrians to give way; but as fresh reinforcements were continually poured on that part, this cavalry was in its turn obliged to fall back, and the battle ftill remained at leaft dubious, or rather inclined against the king of Pruffia, whofe troops, as they had made aftonishing efforts, fo they fuffered beyond all defcription. But whilft the Pruflians fuftained themfelves in that quarter with fuch extreme difficulty, general Ziethen, with the right wing, took the enemy in the rear, repulfed them, and poffeffed himself of fome eminences which commanded the whole Auftrian army. Encouraged by this fuccefs the Pruffian infantry once more advanced, mastered feveral of the enemy's intrenchments, and made way for a new attack of their cavalry, which broke in with irrefiftible impetuofity upon the Auftrians, and threw feveral bodies of them into irreparable diforder. It was now about nine o'clock, the two armies were involved in pitchy darkness; yet the fire continued without intermiffion, and the battalions with a blind rage difcharged at each other without distinguifhing friend or foe.

M. Daun did every thing in the difpofition and the action, that became his high character. But he was obliged to yield to the miraculous fortune of the king of Pruffia. He received a dangerous wound on the thigh, and was car ried from the field, which probably disheartened the troops, and haft ened the defeat. The command then fell on the count O'Donnel, who finding a great part of his

woops

troops in diforder, the night ad vanced, and the enemy poffeffed of eminences which commanded his camp, and of which it was in vain to think of difpoffefling them, ordered a retreat, which was conducted in this darknefs and across the Elbe with wonderful order; none were loft in paffing the bridges, and far the greater part of their artillery was preferved. The Pruffians remained mafters of this well-fought and bloody field. The darkness hindered them from molefting the enemies retreat or improving their victory, which they bought at the expence of ten thoufand killed and wounded, and above three thoufand prifoners. But even with this lofs, the advantage was well purchafed; it was a neceffary and a glorious victory. It re-eftablished the reputation of their arms; it fecured their winter-quarters; and gave them again the poffeffion of a great part of Saxony.

Probably of all the king of Pruffia's battles, this was the moft important; and it was that in the conduct of which he flewed the greateft fkill, intrepidity, and perfever ance. His troops behaved with a firmness which would have done honour to those which he formerly led into Bohemia. In this action, where they were to furmount every obftacle and encounter every difficulty and danger in order to attack fo great and excellent an army as the Auftrians, under fuch an accomplished commander as M. Daun, their number did not exceed fifty thousand men.

The lofs of the Auftrians was very great; the number killed and wounded is not indeed accurately known. Probably it did not much, if at all exceed the lofs on the fide of the victorious army; but the

prifoners were far more numerous ; two hundred and fixteen of the officers of the Auftrians were taken, among whom were four generals, together with eight thousand of the common fort. The king in this battle; in which he every moment expofed his life to the greatest dangers, received a flight contufion in his breaft by a mufket fhot.

The Auftrians difputed the victory in the Gazettes. But the king of Pruffia reaped all the fruits of it; he recovered all Saxony except Drefden; it had been the extremity of rathnefs to have commenced the fiege of that place in the depth. of winter, and in the fight of an army strongly posted, and which though it had been beaten continued after its defeat more numerous than his own. His troops had already fuftained fatigues almoft beyond human ftrength; and the moft prudent part now left was to permit them to enjoy a little repofe; and in the interval of action to prepare, by employing the means his victory had put into his hands, for the arduous work of the enfuing campaign.

Indeed the face of the Pruffian affairs had been prodigioufly changed fince the day in which their enemies had entered Berlin. It was obferved, that the taking of that city had been before this ominous to the Auftrian caufe; and that general Haddick's expedition againft it in 1757, had been followed by the victories of Rofbach and Liffa, as this irruption was by that of Torgau. There was fome difference between the former victories and the latter. But the Pruffians drew motives of confolation and hope from thefe coincidences. There was alfo fomething folid in the advan

tage

vantages they had acquired. After the king of Pruffia's march had delivered Berlin, General Werner marched into Pon:erania; and on his approach, together with that of winter, the Ruffians raised the fiege of Colberg, (which they had kept fo long blocked up by fea and land), and then retired into Poland, not having been able to effect in Pomerania, by the operations of the whole year, more than the devaftation of the open country. Then Werner having freed the Eaftern, flew to the relief of the Western Pomerania, where the fuccefs was as rapid, and more brilliant. He defeated a body of Swedes which was pofted near Pallewalk, compelled them to retire with the lofs of a thousand men, in killed and prifoners; and purfuing his advantage with fpirit, the Swedes rere at length compelled to evacuate the Pruflian Pomerania, and to fall back upon Strahlfund.

All the armies of the Ruffians at length quitted the king's territories. General Laudohn abruptly raifed the blockade of Cofel and afterwards abandoning Landshut, he retired into the Auftrian Silefia, and left all the Pruffian part in quiet. M. Daun, after the battle of Torgau, feeing the king of Pruflia attempting nothing againft Drefden, placed one part of his army in that city, and cantoned the reft in thofe ftrong pofts, which lie to the fouth and weft of it, by which he commanded the Elbe, and kept open his communication with Bohemia. The army of the empire retired into Franconia, and placed its head quarters at Bamberg.

The king of Pruffia omitted nothing to re-establish his affairs; and the recovery of Saxony gave him great opportunities for that purpofe. VOL. III.

We may judge of the importance of that pofleflion by the refources he was able to draw from it. He demanded of the circle of Leipfick for the contributions of the enfuing year, two millions of crowns, exclufive of the ordinary revenue, together with a vast quantity of forage and provifion. From all the other parts of Mifnia which he held, he exacted in the fame proportion. He compelled them. alfo to fupply a vast number of recruits; his demand was twenty thoufand;' and though it be certain that they could not fupply fo many, yet he was enabled, by the recruits furnished by Saxony alone, entirely to fill up the breaches which the battle of Torgau had made in his battalions. He drew alfo vaft refources from the duchy of Mecklenburg, which he taxed at fome millions of crowns, an immenfe quantity of provition, and a great number of recruits. Thefe he infifted either on receiving immediately, or that the duke fhould enter his troops into the Pruffian fervice. It is faid that his majesty then made fome fort of treaty or compofition with the duke, whofe condition has been, from the beginning of the war, the worst that can be imagined. For his fituation is fuch, juft behind the Pruflian dominions, and out of all poflibility of communication with the grand armies of his allies, that he cannot be benefited by any advantages which they acquire; on the contrary, he fuffers almoft equally, whether the king of Pruflia be victorious or defeated; and his dominions muft furnish the means of improving the king's victories and repairing his lotles. If the king of Pruffia has made a treaty with this prince, there is no doubt that it is

almost