213 THE SEVEN YEARS WAR, 1756-63west. The rearward battalions, in order to save time, made straight
for the new positions by a diagonal movement from column.
Frederick did not believe that he was justified in delaying his
attack until Hiilsen and Holstein had reached the scene of action. The
lowering sky discharged showers of snow and icy rain, reminding the
Prussians that they had but a few hours of daylight left to them.
Furthermore the Austrian baggage had been sighted crossing the Elbe
at Torgau, which seemed to indicate that the enemy were about to
make good their escape. Lastly, the strong south wind carried sounds
of what appeared to be heavy firing from the far side of the ridge, and
Frederick concluded that Zieten had already begun his attack.
At about 2 p.m. Frederick ordered the ten leading battalions of
his grenadiers to advance to the attack. The march of the grenadiers
was obstructed by the woods, where there was an old abatis, and the
troops could shake themselves into order only when they emerged
into open ground 850 paces from the Austrian position - in other
words, under effective range of the enemy guns. The progress of their
own artillery was impeded by the trees and the passage of the muddy
Strie-Bach, and the grenadiers had 'marched so speedily that not a
single cannon was able to follow them. But it was essential to attack"
(Gaudi, in Koser, 1901, 282). The Austrian gunners took deliberate
aim, secure in the knowledge that the Prussian troops were too
distant to reach them with musketry, and 'Daun received the Prus-
sians with a cannon fire more intense than any known in land
warfare since the invention of gunpowder... The oldest veterans of
the two armies had never seen such a display of fireworks. The king
himself repeatedly exclaimed to his adjutants: "What a frightful
cannonade! Have you ever heard anything like it!" ' (Archenholtz,
1840, II, 106-7).
Frederick in person was behind the grenadiers. A branch of an
oak tree was severed by a cannon shot and fell nearby, and every
minute the sights about him and the reports of casualties brought
home to him the realisation that his first ten battalions of elite troops
were being massacred. Two-thirds of the grenadiers were killed or
wounded in a matter of minutes, and the survivors fled through the
ranks of the regiments that were coming up behind.
Many of the forces of the royal army were still trailing through
the woods, but rather than lose further time Frederick put in a fresh
attack with the sixteen or so battalions that were most immediately
at hand. These comprised the rearward brigades of the first column,
and the six leading battalions of Hiilsen's column. The Prussians
reached the plateau, but they were unable to sustain themselves
there under the fire of the massed Austrian guns. Daun burst out: 'My
God, why is the king throwing so many men away? Doesn't he know it