238 THE SEVEN YEARS WAR, 1756-63
had been whittled down to less than 30,000 men, and he conceded
both the overall and the local superiority to the Prussians.
Frederick devoted much attention to the business of bringing his
main force into its attacking position. Wied had prosecuted two
overnight marches in streaming rain from the border hills, and on the
night of 19 July he made a third march of the same kind around to the
north and east of Schweidnitz to the foot of the Burkersdorf and
Leutmannsdorf hills. He was accompanied on the circuit by the
brigade of Mollendorff, which marched from Hoch-Giersdorf with a
train of heavy artillery. The brigade of Knobloch in turn marched
straight from Ober-Bogendorf and halted on Mollendorff s right.
On the evening of 20 July four battalions of the Mollendorff
brigade seized the village of Burkersdorf, and after a hard fight they
expelled a picket of Austrian grenadiers from the nearby castle, a
strong old work surrounded by tall poplars. During the night a force of
workers built a breastwork to the east of the castle, behind which the
bombardiers and gunners arrayed no less than fifty-five pieces (forty-
five 7- and 10-pounder howitzers, and ten heavy 12-pounder cannon)
wheel to wheel in a single line. This mass of ordnance stood at the
extreme range of 2,000 paces from its designated targets. The howit-
zers were to plant their shells in the redoubts, while the solid shot of
the 12-pounders were directed at the Weistritz valley, which would
have to be traversed by any reinforcements coming from the Austrian
main army.
The three formations of the infantry were assigned precise tim-
ings and objectives. Wied, on the left or eastern flank, was to initiate
the attack by assaulting the Leutmannsdorf position, from where the
Austrians could otherwise sweep the avenues to the Weistritz sector.
Once Wied had begun his advance, Mollendorff was to open fire with
the great battery at Burkersdorf Castle and ascend the Weistritz
valley, supported by Knobloch on his right.
Frederick reached Mollendorffs brigade at 3.30 a.m. on 21 July.
The rain had ceased, after the third wet night in succession. He
inspected the battery, greeted the troops, and re-emphasised to Mol-
lendorff that he must await the sounds of Wied's attack before setting
himself in motion. Frederick then rode off at a gallop to the corps of
Wied, who had been waiting for the sky to lighten behind the
Zobten-Berg.
Wied advanced as soon as Frederick arrived. The attack was not
begun a moment too soon, for Brentano's corps was beginning to
arrive on the summit of the hills. Major-General Prince Franz of
Anhalt-Bernburg brought three battalions of Wied's left wing
through the village of Leutmannsdorf, clearing the Croats from the
gardens, but on the steep slopes beyond he was bloodily repulsed by