119 THE SEVEN YEARS WAR, 1756-63The counter-attack against Schwerin's infantry promptly collapsed,
and ultimately many of the Austrian troops on this wing were cut off
altogether from their main army and had to escape in the direction of
Beneschau.
At about noon the Prussian breakthrough to the north began to
roll up the principal Austrian position from its right flank. 'Now our
fine and agreeable day was plunged into gloom. The whole air was
darkened by the powder smoke, and by the dust thrown up by the
thousands of men and horses. It was like the last day of the world'
(letter of an Anhalt musketeer, Urkundliche Beitrage, 1901,1, Heft 2,
51). On his own initiative Major-General Manstein intervened from
the north with four grenadier battalions of the right wing of the
Prussian infantry, dislodging the Austrians from their earthworks on
the ridge between the Kej and Hlaupetin ponds, and in the early hours
of the afternoon the Austrians were gradually unseated from their
further positions along the northern edge of the plateau.
General Kheul rallied the main force of the Austrians from a
stand behind a steep little valley which ran north from Maleschitz to
the bend of the Rocketnitzer-Bach at Hrdlorzez. This new battle
occasioned the heaviest fighting of the day, and the regiment of
Winterfeldt (1) was massacred when it tried to climb the slope from
the bottom of the ravine.
Once again the Austrians were to be evicted only by a double
threat to their flanks. First of all their right or southern wing had to be
pulled back when the advance of Zieten and Frederick from Sterbohol
carried on in the direction of Neu-Straznitz. However, the Austrian
troops to the north remained in ignorance of what was happening,
and they held their positions until they were taken in their left flank
by the regiment of Itzenplitz, which Prince Henry in person led across
the locketnitzer-Bach. The soldiers had at first shrunk from wading
the stream, and their fears were almost confirmed when the dimin-
utive form of Prince Henry strode into the water and nearly dis-
appeared from sight.
By 3 p.m. the main force of Austrian infantry was withdrawing
on Prague, protected by the almost suicidal counter-attacks of the
Austrian cavalry. Frederick himself was nearly captured when the
Stechow Dragoons (D 11) were caught by three regiments of Austrian
cuirassiers.
News of the king's whereabouts on this terrible day is in fact
remarkably scanty. Two further sightings were made when the battle
was finally over. The hussar officer Warnery tells us that Frederick
joined him close under the citadel of Wischehrad, at the southern end
of the Prague fortifications, and that he remained under artillery fire
for half an hour. 'He had his telescope to his eye, and he laughed at