Page:History of the Thirty Years' War - Gindely - Volume 1.djvu/165

 strength of 11,000 men, including, however, in this number those enlisted on Ferdinand’s own account,and towards the end of May (1619) nearly doubled the strength of Buquoi’s army.

The result was, that in the headquarters of the royal army aggressive action was resolved upon, and Thurn’s retreat was still further hastened. Mansfeld, at the head of 3,000 men, left Pilsen in order to strengthen Hohenloe at Budweis. Buquoi, informed by spies of the direction of his march, determined to attack him by surprise, and, leaving his main force in Budweis to watch Hohenloe, he proceeded with 5,000 men against the enemy. The meeting took place on the 10th of June near Záblat, a village lying northeastwardly from the small city of Netolic, to which Mansfeld had retreated when he became aware of his enemy’s superior force. Buquoi at first only skirmished with the enemy, and, sure of a victory in the end, sent some detachments of troops to cut off the way of the flight which he anticipated. When he had thus arranged, he proceeded, about noon, to the attack, and the victory was complete. The infantry was either hewn down or captured, and only a portion of the cavalry escaped. Waldstein, the future commander, took part in this engagement at the head of a regiment of cavalry which had been enlisted for him among the Walloons of the Spanish Netherlands. Mansfeld behaved bravely and with undaunted intrepidity so long as resistance was possible, but when he saw that all was lost, he sought, with but fifteen mounted companions, his safety in flight to Moldautein. This defeat, which, notwithstanding the small forces engaged, has preserved its memory to the present day, rendered the Bohemian army unable longer to maintain the siege of Budweis, and obliged it to withdraw. Hohen-