Page:The Annual Register 1758.djvu/77

 HISTORY OF THE WAR.

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fians an<l defeats it. He is unable to follow his blow, but he dif- ables them from llriking any blow againll that part of his dominions, which he is obliged to leave. VVhilit he is engaged with the Rulfians on the frontiers of Poland, the Auftrians and Impcrialirts enter Saxony. Before they can do any thing decifive, the King is him- fclf fuddenly in Saxony, and by his prefence at once difconcerts all their projedls. The Icene is again changed, they furprife him in his camp at Hohkirchen, two of his generals are .killed, his army defeated, his camp is taken. They attack Silefia with a formidable army. Notwithllanding his late defeat ; notwithltanding the great fuperiority of his enemies ; not- withftanding the advantage of their polls ; he makes an amazing fweep about all their forces, eludes their vigilance, renders their politions unprofitable; and marching with an aftonilhing rapidity into the re- motell parts of Silefia, obliges the Aultrian armies to retire with precipitation out of that province. Then he flies to the relief of Saxony, which his enemies had a- gain profited of his abfence to in- vade ; and a^ain bv the fame ra- p;d and well conducted march, he obliges them to abandon their prize. Defeated by the Auftrians he acquired by his conduct all the advantages of the moil con;pleat vidcry. He guarded all his pof- fciiions in fuch a manner, as to en- able them all to endure his ab- ience for feme fnort time; and he conducted his marches with fuch fpiru, as did not make it neceiTary to them to hold out any longer; he made twice the circuit of his dominions, and irx their turn he relieved tuem all.

Nor was the conducl of Prince Ferdinand of Brunfwick lefs worthy of admiration. Placed at the head of a body of troops, who were but lately obliged to lay down their arms, he found the enemy in pofTelTion of the whole open country, and of all the llrong places in it. Commencing the campaign in the midil of a fevere winter, without any place of llrength in his hands, he drove the enemy from all thofe they held. He obliged them to repafs the Rhine ; he followed and defeated them in a pitched battle. Being afterwards obliged by the great force of France on its own frontier, and the nu- merous armies they had in diffe- rent places, to repafs the Rhine, he defended Lippe againll num- bers greatly fuperior, and though they defeated a part of his armv, they were not able to turn their victory to the lead advantage. Prince Ferdinand's campaign may well pafs for a perfcd model of de- fenlive operations.

The Aufcrians, in taking winter quarters, difpofed their forces fo as to form a chain of an amazing length, from the frontiers of Mo- ravia paffing through Bohemia, ail along the ficirts of Silefia and the borders of Saxony. There the im^ perial army joined this chain, and continued it through Thuringia and F-i-ancoaia, where it was united to the quarters of the Prince de Sou- b.fe. Tuefe troops had fallen back from Helle Callel, finding them- felves unable to maintain their ground in the landgraviate. The Prince de Soubife's cantonments extended weftward along the courfe of the Maine and Lahn, to meet thofe of M. de Contades which ftretched to the Rhine, and conti- nued the chain beyond it quite to

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