104 THE SEVEN YEARS WAR, 1756-63
When the cannon at first spoke out, one of the shot carried
away half the head of my comrade Krumholtz. He had been
standing right next to me, and my face was spattered with
earth, and brains and fragments of skull. My musket was
plucked from my shoulder and shattered in a thousand pieces,
but in spite of everything I remained unscathed, thanks be to
God. (Urkundliche Beitrage, I, Heft 2, 30)The bombardment continued with a violence that was beyond the
Prussians' experience, and whole files of their soldiers were being
carried away at a time.
Frederick and his companions on the Homolka-Berg were in the
path of the shot which flew over the regiment of Alt-Anhalt (3),
standing directly to their front. Early in the cannonade Major-
General Quadt was hit by a splinter from a shattered stone, and he
tumbled, mortally wounded, over the back of his horse. Frederick was
urged to take cover from the raging missiles, but he replied, T did not
come here to avoid them' (Brunswick, 1902, I, Heft 4, 36).
The Prussian battery on the Homolka exacted a revenge from the
bodies of Austrian cavaliy which were dimly seen to be manoeuvring
in chequer-board formation on the plain. The Austrians lost
Lieutenant-General Radicati, one of their most popular leaders (his
red marble monument is to be seen in the cathedral at Leitmeritz),
but their squadrons calmly continued their evolutions, so as to throw
the Prussian gunners off their aim. The Prussians deployed two
further batteries in the course of the action - one on the valley floor,
and another a short way up the Lobosch - but Frederick's army
enjoyed no respite from the Austrian cannonade.
Before 7 a.m. Frederick ordered the solid and genial Duke of
Bevern to clear the Lobosch with the left wing of the infantry. Bevern
advanced three regiments up the slopes, and he sent word before long
that he was heavily engaged with the enemy.
At about the same time Frederick allowed himself to be per-
suaded by his brother August Wilhelm to dispatch a reconnaissance
in force to clarify the situation in the plain. Eight squadrons of
cavalry were chosen for this task, and while they were filtering
through and around the battalions of infantry to the foot of the
Homolka, their commander, Lieutenant-General Kyau, told
Frederick that he believed he could detect a force of Austrian grena-
diers in a dangerous flanking position in a little village (Sullowitz),
and that there were two lines of enemy cavalry behind. 'At this the
king became impatient, and told him to attack regardless' (Bruns-
wick, 1902, I, Heft 4, 35).
The glittering troopers of the Garde du Corps (C 13), the Gens