175 THE SEVEN YEARS WAR, 1756-63south of the churchyard. They were aiming at our camp, and
the shot stormed over our heads. Frederick now exclaimed:
'Troschke, you are quite right! Lads, take up your muskets!
Somebody find my horse!' (Barsewisch, 1863, 72)Meanwhile the individual Prussian generals were bringing their
forces into action as best they could. The right wing of the cavalry
was battling to hold off the columns of Loudon and O'Donnell and
intervene against the left flank of the Austrian infantiy attacking the
village. The Schonaich Cuirassiers (C 6; see Map 20, p. 368) had been
stationed at Pommritz in the rear because there had been no room for
them in the first line of the camp, and now they were standing at the
disposal of Major-General Krockow, who had served in that regiment
up to the rank of major. Krockow was unabashed when Zieten came
up to him and delivered the startling order: 'General, you are to wheel
to the right and attack the Austrian army!' Krockow summoned his
officers to him. 'Gentlemen', he said, 'we have known one another for
a long time. Today we must show what kind of people we are!'
(Kalkreuth, 1840, IV, 167). The troopers formed a column on a
one-squadron frontage, and after passing through the Prussian infan-
tiy they pressed home their attack against the Austrian grenadiers
south of Hochkirch. Krockow was mortally wounded, but the regim-
ent returned with a captured colour and a rich haul of Austrian
prisoners.
The Prussian infantiy around Hochkirch had ceased to exist as
formed units, except for the second battalion of Margrave Carl (19),
which emplaced itself behind the churchyard wall under the com-
mand of Major Simon Moritz von Langen. Meanwhile battalion after
battalion of the unengaged centre was being rushed south in order to
stave off the collapse of the right, and Field-Marshal Keith sent an
officer to Frederick with the message: 'Tell the king I shall hold out
here to the last man and give the army a chance to assemble. We are
in the hands of God, and I doubt whether we shall see each other
again!' (Paczynski-Tenczyn, 1896, 47).
Keith was directing a counter-attack by the regiment of Prinz
von Preussen (18) when he received a musket ball in the stomach.
Veiy shortly afterwards a second shot plucked him dead from his
horse. At about the same time Moritz of Anhalt-Dessau was incapaci-
tated by a bullet wound, and he had to be carried away. Prince Franz
of Brunswick, the young brother of the queen, was beheaded by a
cannon shot, just to the west of Hochkirch, and his riderless horse
galloped in a panic up and down in front of the Prussian lines.
By now a mass of Prussian infantiy was heaped up in front of the
Austrian guns. In one of the streets, the notorious Blutgasse, as it was