207 THE SEVEN YEARS WAR, 1756-63He answered, with good humour, 'I know we are not in
agreement on that point, but your mind is made up, and I am
not disposed at the moment to argue with you.' (Mitchell, 1850,
II, 203-5)From 19to 29 August 1760 the royal army rested at Hermannsdorf near
Breslau, while Frederick made ready for the new campaign that was
to bring the Austrians to battle in southern Silesia. Now that the
Russian army appeared to be withdrawing into Poland, Frederick sent
word to Prince Henry to leave about 14,000 troops on the far side of the
Oder and bring all the rest to the royal army. This reinforcement
arrived on the 29th, which gave Frederick a total of 50,000 men under
his command, and he at once moved against the 80,000 Austrians who
were grouped in the neighbourhood of Schweidnitz.
The Prussians marched all day on 30 August and all through the
following night, and this first push of twenty-two miles most effec-
tively turned the flank of Daun's position to the west of the Zobten-
Berg. He raised his blockade of Schweidnitz, but rather than accept
battle in the open field he recoiled to a new camp in the hills between
Burkersdorf and Freyburg.
Frederick was therefore denied the decision he had been seeking.
He shifted a little way to his right and spent the period between 3 and
10 September at Bunzelwitz, making arrangements to re-provision
the army. The release of tension produced its usual effect on the mind
and frame of the king, and he was gripped by onsets of pain which
made it difficult for him to breathe. 'For two years now I have been
exposed to sorry and endless anxiety. This is an ordeal calculated to
undermine and overthrow the most robust constitution' (PC 12350).
On 11 September Frederick resumed his westward march. He
progressed no further than Baumgarten before he found that the
Austrians were enclosing him in a semi-circle of positions. Daun had
moved sideways in the direction of Freyburg, while Loudon's corps
gained the rounded heights south of Reichenau and headed off the
Prussian advance.
The increasingly impatient Frederick resorted to the last move
that was left to him, namely to march around to Daun's right or
eastern flank. The three columns of the Prussian army set off in great
silence at 3 a.m. on 17 September. The first miles of the march were
across flat country, and Frederick hoped to gain a start on Daun by
making rapid progress under cover of the morning mists. However,
the army was still well short of its objectives when the veil lifted, and
the Austrians were now able to bring their cavalry and guns into
action against the enemy who were trailing past them on the plain
below. 'All the people around the king were afraid of being shot, or of