Page:The Annual Register 1758.djvu/71

 HISTORY OF THE WAR.

57

How the King's~out. guards were kept fo as to make fuch a furprife prafticable, is hard to fay. It is hard to accufc the yjgilaiice of fo able a commander, or the attention of fo many finifhed officers as ferved under him. To fpeak of treachery is a way of accounting for misfor- tunes more common than rcalon- able. However it was, the Pruffians had not time to itrike their tents, when they found the enemy in the midfi of the camp, and an im- petuous attack already begun. Scarce had the battle began, when a defeat feemed certain; not fo much from the confufion of the troops, as the irreparable lofs of two officers in the higlieft com- mand, and of the greateft merit. M. Keith received two mufquet balls, and fell dead upon the Ipot. Prince Francis of Brunfwick had his head Ihot off by a cannon ball as he mouiited his horfe. The King of i'ruffia had then the whole of alfairs to fultaia alone, at the time when he moll wanted alTill- ance. But his prefence of mind, his firmneis, his activity, remedied in fome meafure the effects of this unforefeen attack, and the lolfes and diibrders it had occafioned; he WdS every where prefent, and infpired his troops with an ardor like his own. The King ordered fome detachments from his left, to reinforce his right wing; bt;t in the moment the orders were received, the left itfelt was furi oufly attacked. General K-tz^'W who commanded in that quartc, wica difficulty repulfed the Auftri- ans, and was not able to afford any confiderable affiltance to the right, which was alone obliged to lup port the whole weight of the grand attack.

The Auflrians in the beginning

of the engagement had bestten them out of the village of Hohki'-chen; as the fate of the day depended upon that poll, the hottefl of the difpute was there. The Pruffians made three bloody and unfuccelsful attacks on the village; on the fourth they carried it; but the Auflrians pouring continually frefh troops upon that fpot, drove them out at lengtli after reiterated efforts and a prodigious uaughter on all fides. Then the King, defpairing of the fortune of that field, ordered a retreat; h s troops whicn had been fuddenly attacked in a dark night by fuperior numbers* and had ran to arms fome half naked, and ail in the utmoft confufion, had not- witl^ftanding made a molt vigorous refiftancf, and maintained the fig.it for near five hojrs. They made their retreat in good order without be.ng purfued, fuDported by the good countenance of their cavalry, and tile fire of a numerru- a d well ferved artillery, which was placed in the centre of their camp. '1 hey loft in this bloody adlion at leall -O-O men, killed, wounded, and priioneri, together with many cannon. 1 he Auftrian account ahowed their own lofs in killed and wounded to amount to near 500c.

The King of Prufii :, in retiring^ from Hohkircnen, in facl only altered the p:fitiun of his rig.it win2, which fell back as far as WeifTenburg. His left Hill remain- ed at Bautzen. This poli.ion was nearly as good as the former. 'I'he great lofs, was the 1 fs u{ reputation which always attends a def at, n d the lofs X)f two great general- -vmcK atrfnded this in particular. M. Ke'th was a Scotchman b('rn. He engaged with his brother the L^'-rd Mariihal in tue rebcUiua of 1715,

Being