103 THE SEVEN YEARS WAR, 1756-63In its small compass the field of Lobositz owned almost every
conceivable variety of landscape. Out to the north-east it was bound-
ed by a bend of the river Elbe. To the south there rose the little town of
Lobositz, and in front of that stretched the channels, ponds and
swamps of the Morellen-Bach. Further west, the direction from
which the Prussians were advancing, the plain of Lobositz narrowed
into a valley as it entered the curious landscape of a denuded range of
extinct volcanoes. To the left, as the Prussians saw it, the eerie cone
of the Lobosch Hill rose to a height of 420 metres above the valley
floor. The summit was a basalt plug, and on the steep slopes the fertile
soil had been terraced into vineyards, divided from one another by
dry-stone walls of grey volcanic rock.
On the right or southern side of the valley exit the ground rose to
the lower but still respectable height of the Homolka-Berg. This was a
smooth-topped, commanding height, a kind of elder brother to the
Graner-Koppe at Soor, and, since it was unoccupied by the Austrians,
Lieutenant-Colonel Moller planted one of the heavy batteries there.
This seems to have comprised four 24-pounders, five 12-pounders, and
one or more howitzers.
Frederick followed the right wing of the infantry as it advanced
up the Homolka-Berg. The summit was bathed in sunlight, but in the
plain to the east the town of Lobositz could be discerned only 'as if
through a veil' (PC 8378). In fact he notes that 'the fog was so thick
that all that you could make out was a sort of enemy rearguard. It
appeared that one attack would be enough to make this force recoil to
the rear. I am short-sighted, and I asked some officers with better eyes
than mine to tell me what was going on, but they could see no more
than I did' (PC 8144).
This 'rearguard' consisted of the main Austrian army of 34,000
men, which Field-Marshal Browne had artfully disposed in concealed
positions over the landscape. His Croatian light infantry on the
Lobosch was supported by the regulars of the corps of Lacy, standing
in readiness behind the hill. The bulk of the Austrian horse and foot
was held to the south, behind the Morellen-Bach, and between this
force and Lacy a line of grenadiers and Croats was hidden in a sunken
road. Many of the Austrian infantry were lying flat on the ground,
and at least one of Browne's batteries of heavy guns was concealed
behind a screen of cavalry. His plan was to stage a limited holding
action around Lobositz, and later slip across to the right bank of the
Elbe and lead a flying corps to the relief of the Saxons.
The Austrians opened the battle with a cannonade from their
powerful battery in front of Lobositz. The regiment of Hulsen (21; see
Map 6, p. 345) was standing at the foot of the Lobosch Hill, an easy
target for the Austrian guns, and musketeer Franz Reiss recalled: