Page:The Annual Register 1758.djvu/73

 HISTORY OF THE WAR.

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tempt for their incapacity, as of horror for their cruelty.

After the defeat which the King received at Hohkirchen, he omitted ro meafures to prevent the enemy from making any material advan- tage of it. He perceived clearly, that the advantage they propcled to derive from it, was to cover the operations of their armies in Silefia ; and that they had no longer any ferious defign upon Saxony during this campaign. The King therefore made no fcruple to reinforce his army by confiderable detachments from that of Prince Henry, which were brought up by that Prince himfelf And as he faw thatNeifs, the fiege of which had been already formed and profecuted with great vigour, iruft certainly furrender if it were not fpeedily fuccoured, he refolved to march into Silefia.

To the execution of this defign the greateft difficulties ftarted up on all fides. The army of M. Daun, lately vidorious, had no other bufi- nefs than to intercept him. To light was dubious ; to avoid it, hard. If he could even avoid a battle, he had much to apprehend from the efforts of the enemy to harrafs him on his march. If he Ihould be fo happy as to efcape or to conquer theie difficulties, yet his march en- tirely uncovered Saxony, and aban- doned that molt interelting poffef- fion, very poorly defended, to all the force of two powerfiil armies.

On the other hand, if the confi- deration of Saxony Ihould detain him in his prefpnt lituation, Silefia ran the fame rifl:, and the fame or greater difadvantages mull en- fue ro his affairs, by fuffering the Auitrians to obtain a footing there. This dilemma, which would have rendered a meaner genius entirely inactive, and hindered him from

taking any refolution, only obliged the King of Pruffia to take his re- folution with the greater fpeed, and to execute it with the greater vigour.

On the 24:h of November at nignt, he quivted his camp at Do- brefchurz, and making a great com- pafs, he arrived without any ob- llriidion from the enemy, in the plain of Gorlitz. A body of the Auitrians had in vain endeavoured to fecure this port before him ; thofe that arrived were defeated, with the lofs of eight hundred men. By this happy march, all the advantages of M. Daun's ftudied pofition, all the fruits of his boalled viclory at Hoh- kirchen, were loii in a moment, and an open paflage to Silefia lay before the King. He parfued his march with the greateft diligence. Gene- ral Laudohn, with 24,000 men, was fent to purine him. '1 hat aftive general continually harralfed his rear guard; but the King continued his march without interruption, and fuffered him to take many little advantages, rather than by delay- ing to conteft fmall matters, to en- danger a defign, which might be decifive of the whole campaign.

On the other hand, Daun, not content with the obftacles which General Laudohn threw in the King's way, fent a large body of horfe and foot by another route to reinforce the army, which under the Generals Harfch and de Ville had formed the fiege of Niefs, and the blockade of Cofel. But he per- ceived that all thefe meafures would probably prove ineffeftual, as his principal projeft, which was to co- ver Silefia, had been defeated. He therefore turned his views towards Saxony, and fatisfying himfelf with detaching general Laudohn, which migh; create an opinion that the

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