118THE SEVEN YEARS WAR, 1756-63best to conceal his emotion and shouted out "There is nothing:^1 we can
do about that. Let's be as determined as he was. March on!" ' (Dreyer,
1810, 35).
At about 11 a.m. the victorious Austrian infantry descended the
slope from the plateau and began to push back the twelve battalions
of Schwerin's second line. Things would have gone badly for
Frederick if the infantry of his centre had not begun to exploit an
opportunity which was opening up further to the north along the axis
of the Kaiser-Strasse. This was a gap which yawned at the angle of the
Austrian forces - between the positions of the main army, which was
still facing north, and the detached regiments, which had hastened
south-east and were now pushing back Schwerin's wing.
Altogether twenty-two Prussian battalions advanced through
this region of lakes and headlands. Lieutenant-General Hautcharmoy
led the march with the regiments of Hautcharmoy (28), Tresckow
(32) and Meyerinck (26), and the Duke of Bevern exercised nominal
control of the remainder of the force. In fact many of the regimental
commanders groped their way forward on their own initiative, and
Colonel Hertzberg found himself heading a small group of battalions
in what turned out to be a decisive attack against the uncovered
north flank of the detached Austrian wing. He had pushed his
immediate command, the first battalion of Darmstadt (12), between
the two ponds of Kej and up to the plateau, 'and such a silence had
fallen on the battle that they could not hear a single shot during the
whole of their march through the abandoned camp of the Austrian
cavalry'. From here Hertzberg discovered the exposed wing of the
Austrian infantry to the south, and he wheeled his men to the left.
The following regiments of Prinz von Preussen (18) and Kannacher
(30) conformed with this change of direction, and the scratch force of
Prussians began to roll up the enemy units in succession, beginning
with the regiments of Wied (28) and the Mainz auxiliaries. 'Nowa-
days the printed accounts ascribe this movement to the king. In fact it
was quite impossible for him to have issued the appropriate orders, for
he was far distant on the left wing' (Berenhorst, 1845-7, I, 102).
At about the same time Lieutenant-General Zieten at last turned
the cavalry battle near Sterbohol to the advantage of the Prussians,
by carrying twenty-five fresh squadrons around to the south of the
pond and joining the Puttkamer and Werner Hussars (H 4, H 6) for an
attack against the right wing of the Austrian cavalry. Zieten simply
pronounced, 'Overthrow any enemy who appear!' and the word was
taken up among the squadrons.
The Austrian right wing was therefore taken between two
threats to its flanks and rear - from Hertzberg's force from the north,
and the forty-five or so squadrons of Prussian cavalry to the south.