202 THE SEVEN YEARS WAR, 1756-63The state of affairs was still more dangerous than Frederick knew, for
Chernyshev was across the Oder with his 25,000 troops and was
marching to join the Austrians.
Having failed in all attempts to force his way past the immediate
flanks of the Austrian forces, Frederick could see no alternative but to
march down the 'Prussian' side of the Katzbach as far as the conflu-
ence with the Oder near Parchwitz, and then seek to gain the roads to
Breslau or Glogau as the occasion arose. The first stage of the process
was to feed the army across the narrow, swampy-banked Schwarz-
wasser, a fitting younger sister of the Katzbach. The baggage train
and the bakery were sent ahead, and at 8 p.m. on 14 August the army
began to pass to the east bank by the crossings at Liegnitz town and
further upstream. At this juncture a note of low comedy supervened
with the arrival of a Lieutenant or Captain Wise, an Irishman who
had been dismissed some time before from the Austrian service, but
who continued to haunt the fringes of the enemy camps, picking up
gossip. Wise reached Frederick in a state of advanced drunkenness,
but after the administration of much tea and cold water he was able
to report that Daun intended to attack the Prussians.
Frederick's move across the Schwarzwasser now appeared in a
providential light. With any luck the Austrian blow would fall on the
old camp site west of the stream, where the Prussians maintained
their fires and kept their pickets in position. On the left side of the
Schwarzwasser Frederick now arranged his army on a bushy plateau
three miles north-east of Liegnitz. This feature was of insignificant
height in itself, but it derived its importance from its position relative
to the open meadows which extended to the Katzbach.
Upon consideration, the Prussian right wing appeared to
Frederick to be over-extended and vulnerable. He therefore drew it in
closer to the hump of the Reh-Berg, and formed it along a front facing
south-west. He likewise brought the second line through the first, and
ordered it to take up a position guarding the rear. This was a tedious
process, because the move was executed in darkness and the second
line was encumbered with the batteries of 12-pounders which were
now attached to the brigades of infantiy. 'Frederick had enjoyed no
sleep for two days and one night. Now on this second night it was
more important than ever for him to be awake. He rode between the
scattered regiments, and dismounted wherever he considered his
presence useful' (Kiister, 1793, 25). It was a serene, starry night,
according to some accounts, but cold, damp and windy on the
authority of others. Frederick settled down for what remained of the
hours of darkness by a small fire in front of the Rathenow Grenadiers
(1/23; see Map 23, p. 371). He was wrapped in his cloak, and he had
his back against a tree.