149 THE SEVEN YEARS WAR, 1756-63prisoners were taken, and Frederick had the captives led past his
marching columns so as to raise the morale of his troops.
Frederick left the three battalions and the jaegers to hold Borne,
and rode out with Prince Moritz and a detachment of hussars to the
minuscule Schon-Berg, from where he could see that he had emerged
opposite the right-centre of vast lines of Austrians as they extended
on a rough north-south axis for about four miles across his front. The
details could now be distinguished with great clarity, even though he
was facing into the sun, and it was perhaps now that he learnt from
reconnaissance parties that the Austrian right, or northern, flank was
anchored on the dense oak thickets of the Zettel-Busch (the only
extensive area of wooded country on the field), while the left wing
fell short of the support of the Schweidnitzer-Wasser. More impor-
tant, looking to his right Frederick saw that the conformation of the
Schleier-Berg and the Sophien-Berg offered him the means of execut-
ing a concealed march southwards for a couple of miles, after which a
wheel to the east might bring the army into an attacking position
perpendicular to the exposed Austrian left at Sagschiitz. Almost
certainly Frederick could give a name to all the villages he saw,
which would have lent force and clarity to his instructions.
Meanwhile it would be useful to persuade the enemy that the
Prussians intended to continue the original efastward advance beyond
Borne. Frederick arrayed the cavalry of the advance guard for a time
one thousand paces east of Borne in full view of the Austrians, and
towards 11a.m. some of the troops of the main army were temporarily
deployed as if they intended to march in line directly against the
Austrian positions. Prince Charles of Lorraine was watching these
proceedings with close attention, and he was fully convinced that the
Prussians were going to hit his right flank between Frobelwitz and
Nippern. He accordingly moved nine battalions from the reserve and
positioned them around Nippern, which was well over an hour's hard
marching from the actual point of impact south of Sagschiitz.
Late in the morning the Prussian columns wheeled to the south,
passing through and around Borne, and by means of a complicated
series of breakings-off and re-joinings the wings were converted into
lines. For reasons which have never been properly explained, Prince
Carl of Bevern and six of the nine battalions of the advance guard
remained with Zieten and the right wing of the cavalry - a mixture of
horse and foot which harked back to Mollwitz.
The ground in the centre and the south of the field of Leuthen was
some of the most open and flat in Silesia, and yet, after the march had
proceeded no more than a few hundred paces, the Prussian columns
disappeared from the view of the Austrian high command, standing
just north of Leuthen village. This conjuring trick was made possible