Page:History of the Thirty Years' War - Gindely - Volume 1.djvu/166

 loe broke up his camp near Rudolfstadt on the 15th of June, and retired to Soběslau (Sobyeslau), to await there the arrival of Thurn. Buquoi availed himself of the leisure thus given him for the purpose of assailing the castles of Southern Bohemia which were not already in his possession, and having nearly accomplished this work, he turned northward one day before the junction of Thurn with Hohenloe. The united forces of these two commanders formed an army of perhaps 300 strong, making it numerically quite superior to that i Buquoi, though much below his in their preparation for service in the field. The levy was without practice, and was wanting, as were also the enlisted men, in discipline, since the Bohemian Estates constantly grew more slack in the payment of their troops. The soldiers deserted, the officers seized every pretext to absent themselves and hang around in Prague, and those who held high commands did much the same.

At the headquarters of the royal army it was determined so to order the aggressive movement as to transfer the war to Moravia. With this intent, Dampierre separated from Buquoi and entered this country, and near Wisternitz came upon the Moravian troops under Tiefenbach, and was defeated. This was early in August, 1619. Although Buquoi could not hope that the events of the war in Moravia would compel the Bohemians to send a part of their men thither, and knew, therefore, that he would have to prosecute his plan against the enemy with a diminished force, he was, nevertheless, encouraged, by the growing disorder caused in the Bohemian camp by the failure of their pay, to proceed to decisive action. The state of the Bohemian finances was such that the army was near the point of dissolution. The regiments would