141 THE SEVEN YEARS WAR, 1756-63Soon after daybreak on 5 November the Mayr free battalion found
that the allied camp was covered by the corps of Saint-Germain (eight
battalions and thirteen squadrons) garnishing the Schortau heights.
Behind this screen the allied army spent several hours sorting itself
into three columns, which were supposed to execute a grand tactical
plan of turning Frederick's left flank. This force lurched into motion
towards noon and made initially for Zeuchfeld, as if to escape south
out of Frederick's way. Early in the afternoon the allies carried out
their wheel to the left, and, despite delays and confusions which gave
birth to an unintended fourth column, they began to march over a
wide and open ridge which led past the Prussian left flank.
This interesting development found the Prussians still at ease
over their lunch. Frederick had his headquarters in the Herrenhaus at
the southern extremity of Rossbach village, which stood like an
island in the open plain of arable land. At the time of the allied march
the king was dining unconcernedly with some of his officers in an
upper room, but the young Capitaine des Guides Friedrich Wilhelm
Gaudi had stationed himself in the garret above, where a number of
bricks had been removed from the western wall, giving him a clear
view to the ridge. Over there he could see that a number of enemy
generals were prospecting the Prussian position, and that the allies
had changed the direction of their march. Gaudi went downstairs to
report to the table what he had seen. At first Frederick angrily
dismissed him as an alarmist, but additional confirmation arrived
soon enough.
Once aroused, Frederick acted with all possible vigour to head off
the advance of the allies and attack them on the march. He im-
mediately seized on the potential of the long, low ridge of the Janus
Hill for screening a clockwise movement of the army out to the
north-east, and on by a broad sweep south and west to embrace the
allied columns. The cavalry had the furthest to go, and Frederick gave
the newly promoted Major-General Seydlitz full authority over the
disposable thirty-eight squadrons. Seydlitz duly rode up to the caval-
ry generals and announced: 'Gentlemen, I obey the king, and you will
obey me!' (Gr. Gstb., 1901-14, V, 211).
The Prussian cavalry moved off to the left, and five squadrons of
the Szekely Hussars (H 1; see Map 15, p. 360) kept pace along the
Janus Hill to the south so as to conceal the movement from the
enemy. The slower-moving Prussian infantry began to march up the
western slopes of the ridge, and when the heads of columns came
within a few hundred paces of the crest Frederick dispatched Colonel
Moller to the summit with a battery of eighteen heavy guns.