But the Imperialists, considering the danger to their flank, withdrew from Kulmbach. Ried, left alone on his side, fell back reluctantly upon Lichtenfels (May 12). As soon as Knobloch withdrew on Kulmbach, Prince Henry countermanded this movement and ordered him to proceed upon Bamberg. Prussian detachments fanned out, making demands on the various villages and towns in this area. Ried fell back on Schloss Seehof, but did not make an attempt to interrupt Prussian progress towards Bamberg. Prussian feelers moved through the village of Zapffendorfe. Knobloch’s men pulled up short at Hallstadt, right by Bamberg.
While these various forces were thus engaged, the main body of Prince Henry’s men moved upon Hof (May 9). Then the bluecoats pressed to Münchberg. To act as a counter, General Christoph Baden-Durlach was sent forth to take up a blocking post near Kupferberg aiming on Stadtsteinach. General Brettlache was to do what he could to help block Prince Henry. But news of continuing Prussian successes caused Zweibrücken to retire on Bamberg. Henry pushed up to Berneck, urging his vanguard through Oberlaitzsch. Close-by, this body (under Kleist) encountered a supply train, escorted by Major-General von Riedesel, and attacked it at once (May 11). The effort was splendidly successful, virtually all of the enemy troops, including Riedesel, were taken prisoner along with the wagons and upwards of a thousand men.
His steps encouraged by this episode, Prince Henry moved forward, while the enemy were busy recoiling into Bamberg (May 13). The remaining supply wagons were sent off to Nürnburg. Same day, the Prussians appeared at Altenstadt. Henry deployed his army into a line from Hollfeld and Treppendorf.
While these events were unfolding, Prince Ferdinand sent out a detachment (about 3,000 men) under Major-General von Urff to help upset any Imperialist designs in the immediate area. General Bülow pushed off with the vanguard aiming at Hilders, where he encountered Vecsey’s men, May 6. The latter beat a hasty retreat, while Bülow rather energetically pressed on Königshofen. That fortress, under its commandant, Lt.-Gen. von Drachsdorf, stuck to its guns, literally, laying down a barrage against Urff’s men. That was enough to convince Urff he had accomplished what he set out to do, and his force fell back, reaching Hersfeld on May 16. Zweibrücken had never considered an engagement in the open field, and Bamberg remained in danger. The Imperialists were handled most inefficiently, and the only thing preventing a deeper incursion was the inferior numbers of the Prussian troops. It was fortunate for the Imperialists that their enemies lacked the means to exploit their underlying weakness.
Zweibrücken fell back on Höchstadt (May 13–14). Bamberg was left to the devices of Ried, who had a post at Seehof, while Kölb was hovering near Gaustadt. The latter’s intentions seem to have been nothing more than destroying the magazines at Bamberg, which was a half-completed job at best. The last Imperialist troops drew off on May 16.
When Knobloch appeared before Bamberg, the City Fathers gave an oath there would be no resistance to the imminent entrance of the bluecoats. But Croats and some light troops had secretly returned to the place; they fired upon Knobloch’s men when they entered the gates. This nefarious act prompted a Prussian attack on the Imperialists who had filtered back into town. Once they had driven off the enemy force, the enraged bluecoats sacked Bamberg. General Itzenplitz arrived during the daylight hours of May 16, and ordered the Prussians to cease and desist from plunder. However, enormous amounts of provisions, not destroyed by the retiring enemy, were seized in Bamberg. This helped keep Prince Henry in the field.
Bamberg paid dearly for its misdeeds. The city fathers were ordered to cough up 580,000 thalers, which sum Henry refused to reduce or rescind, although the bluecoats stayed put. Prince Henry had reached the limit of how far he intended to go.
But the Imperialists proved perfectly willing to follow in the tracks of the Prussians (at a safe distance, of course), who began to retire homeward. Zweibrücken moved on Schweinau, on May 17, with the right wing leaning on some woods called the Lorenzer Wald, although the left, pointing at Regnitz, was able to complete an advantageous position. At this point, it must be emphasized that Imperialist losses had not been light, and logistically their army was much weakened by the loss of their magazines. For the moment, the Reich army was doing well to stay in existence in the field as a fighting force, forget about any offensive schemes for the present. On May 19, the pressured Zweibrücken pressed off Stolberg with a large force to go join Pálffy, still near Grafenberg, extending towards Bayersdorf. On the plus side, Hadik (May 20) arrived to liven up the flagging spirits of the Reich troops.
Pálffy pressed forward, beating back a Prussian force from Gosberg, and Luzinsky secured Helzelsdorf, while the ever vigorous Ried crowded the bluecoats into Höchstadt. This surely meant there was still hope for a meaningful Imperialist presence in this war. But, just then, the movement of their army was in retreat beyond the Regnitz, largely due to weakness of position. General Meinicke made an advance, took Bayersdorf for a brief period, and, by May 21, his advanced elements were at Streeitberg, although the presence of Stolberg nearby negated this effort.
Meanwhile, Knobloch was freed up to go break up Allied supply depots along the Main. The lone Imperialist force in opposition, Vecsey, maneuvered to compromise Knobloch if at all possible. The latter tried for Burgebrach, pressing Wunsch towards the prominent monastery at Ebrach, then on to Kitzengen. Even though he sent off raiding parties, Wunsch stayed put at Kitzingen. The latter happened to be a major supply repository. Wunsch ordered all available supplies to be rounded up, and even ordered the payment of a “bribe” to prevent Kitzingen from being plundered.
On the other hand, St. André had reached Würzburg. Prince Henry knew the jig was up, as did Wunsch. The latter fell back upon Burgebrach (May 20). Meanwhile, Knobloch moved on Heiligenstadt, behind which Meinicke pulled back. The Imperial army finally showing some life of its own, General Itzenplitz concentrated his men at Bamberg. It had not been a cozy occupation by any means. The riled up bluecoats had looted to their heart’s content the area around Sachsendorf, stripping the country bare; this although Prince Henry officially forbade such practices.
In addition, there was no expectation of a Prussian advance against Nürnburg, and Henry was aware that the king wanted his army to return to Saxony, on the double. May 16, Frederick sent instructions to break off any further advance after the bluecoats dealt with Bamberg. Ten days later, a second, more strongly worded, communication was on its way. Daun was set to move into Silesia, the Russians were coming, and it was time to fall back into Saxony. Henry issued appropriate orders, informing his royal brother, on May 24, that the Imperialists should be unable to do much in the way of offensive operations for months. General Finck was heading back with the Prussian advanced guard, while Itzenplitz proceeded to ready his force to retire. He bemoaned the considerable stores of flour and oats at Bamberg could not be taken along, this because there were no wagons at hand to do the job with (transport had been seized by the enemy).
May 25, Prince Henry got his men together at Bayreuth, and fell back soon after on Lutzenreuth. Meinicke pulled back on Berneck, and the Imperial troops, characteristically, failed to pursue other than sending some of the irregulars. Even these followed up at a safe distance. Henry turned on his pursuers, and Meinicke struck hard at the advancing enemy. The latter broke off the pursuit immediately. Prince Henry then took up post at Raschau on June 1.
Now the losses suffered in the earlier raid had really affected Gemmingen. May 10, he moved on Saaz, to be in closer contact with Marshal Daun. Gemmingen prepared to move to outflank the bluecoats of Henry, who were offering an exposed flank over by Eger. Very disturbing word arrived that Ried at Hof was having a hard way to go from the Prussians. Then, in order to help relieve pressure on the Reich army, Gemmingen ordered Brentano to make an expedition into Saxony, moving through Platen and Johanngeorgenstadt. Gemmingen was to follow in Brentano’s tracks, and rendezvous in country close by Chemnitz. A detachment under Lt.-Col. Pezinger was left to hold Chemnitz, while
Lt.-Col. Guttenberg wrestled for control of Dippoldiswalde. All of this was calculated to cause as much grief as was possible on the lines of supply/communication of Prince Henry.
Brentano nabbed Zwickau on May 17, but Henry, true to form, reacted. Major-General Schenckendorf moved on Hof, while Colonel Karl Friedrich von Wolfersdorfe was ordered to drive away any enemy forces on the road to Zwickau. Schenckendorf marched on Zwickau, and made ready to attack Brentano (May 25). The Prussian preparations were made all right, but were detected by the enemy. Brentano fled across the Mulde at Bockau, and took up a blocking post at Johanngeorgenstadt, on May 27. A bluecoat attack was initially beaten back, but a rather determined effort ensued, which lasted from about 0900 hours until about 1500 hours, when the action was broken off; likely from mutual exhaustion.30 The opposing armies used up nearly all of the ammunition for their weapons in the process.
Major Graf Guadangi with a force at Falkenstein was attacked by Prussian troops about 1200 hours. After a tussle, this force fell back on Johanngeorgenstadt. There the allies were able to hold their own. This caused Schenckendorf to draw back to Zwickau. Although no victory had been gained outright, Prince Henry was able to retire into Saxony.
Zweibrücken was not anxious to follow up in the path of the retreating enemy. Ried moved into Bamberg on May 25, while General Kleefeld still pressed Prince Henry. May 28, the Imperialists moved to Erlangen, then Forchheim (May 31).
Meanwhile, May 26, Daun discovered the Prussians had aborted their invasion, and that the Reich army seemed to be doing its best to pursue the retiring foe. The usual supply issues had again reared their ugly head. With the official channel for food threatening to dry up, the Imperialists turned to sacking the local areas, behaving with less respect towards the country they were supposed to be defending than had the bluecoats. Morale sank, and desertion, always a problem, was on the rise. The army command tried its best to restore order. The guilty were caught and summarily hanged, when they were at hand. Moreover, steps were taken to restore Bamberg as the chief magazine/granary for the Imperial army.
This news was most disturbing to the inhabitants of that city, since this would put a bull’s eye target for the enemy right on Bamberg again. Complaints were voiced that, far from protecting Bamberg from the encroaching bluecoats, the Reich troops had made little to no effort to shield the place. Indeed, the Imperialists would likely flee again if the Prussians returned. Bamberg might actually be in the unusual position of welcoming back the Prussians, in order to be rid of the bumbling Reich army. Many of the Imperialists wanted join the main army of Daun, whose soldiers were at least paid regularly. (A real luxury for the cash-strapped Imperial army.)
Certainly, at least in terms of outright casualties, the latest effort by Prince Henry’s army was a success. Imperialist losses were about 3,060 men and officers, while the Prussian loss was less than 100 men. Moreover, the Reich army’s rather poor performance revived the feelings following Rossbach in 1757. That army left Franconia in a lurch, exposing virtually the whole region to the vengeful bluecoats. Prince Henry had threatened Nürnburg, and even Regensburg was panicking before the news arrived that the Prussians had retreated. Not only had the land supply magazines been crippled, but the Prussians ended up destroying the Austrian supply flotilla of over 200 water craft.
Prince Henry had pressed forward, skirting the Eger where Kleist and Lt.-Col. Wilhelm Sebastian Belling ran interference to protect the retreat. Enemy hussars which penetrated Saxony in his absence were driven away as he reentered it. What an expedition this had been!31
Meanwhile, operations on the Northern Front had commenced. The Swedes required some attention.32 General Diercke moved against Usedom and Peenemünde (April 4) to capture the pair. The battery there, of 26 cannon and 11 mortars, was prominent. Diercke closed up the places on April 9. Deployed opposite Usedom, the Swedish Artillery Captain Lehmann Grünethal and Captain Honauer set up three batteries, while at Kroslin, Artillery Lieutenant Blumenau was on the left side of the Peene. The enemy commander, Captain Carl Friedrich von Rœck33 and 245 men and officers were captured.34 The decisive moment was during the preceding bombardment, one shot had landed in the powder magazine, blowing it up. A big part of the wall was destroyed and 60 men of the garrison were killed. The Prussians were shaken by all of this.
During all this while, the Russians had stayed in winter quarters, camped in three bodies of troops. Russian losses in the campaign of 1758 had been heavy, and not only from battle. Substantial losses had been sustained in the marches across harsh countryside, in often grueling conditions, which were also conducive to sickness.35 Far more Russian soldiers died of disease or on the harsh marches than were ever killed by Prussian lead.36
The number of soldiers that Russia could field for 1759, in the end, amounted to no more than about 85,00037; a small number when we consider the vast manpower reserves of Elizabeth’s dominions. But increasing costs of the military were met more easily in Russia than in the other belligerent countries, as these were largely offset by increasing taxes, especially on salt and that other Russian staple, vodka. Moreover, Elizabeth’s intentions to more fully prosecute the war against the Prussian king were clear. Count Fermor was to use every means at his disposal in order to do so. The Russian army was capable of helping deliver the knock-out punch to Frederick, if handled aright.38 To this end, new Russian strategy was devised in which there would be better cooperation with the Swedes in Pomerania, especially against the great fortress of Stettin, the capture of which would be invaluable to the Russian fleet.39 This was to be a top priority of the greencoats in 1759, while seeking to work with the Austrians had slipped to secondary importance. As for the latter, a stroke through Brandenburg to seize the capital of Prussia, just when Frederick had demonstrated it remained of secondary importance to Prussian arms at best, had little appeal, while a true junction with the Austrians in Silesia to the south might help out the whitecoats, but it would do precious little for the Russian cause.40 This was more than suspected in Vienna.41
The Austrians were not entirely blind to Russian feelings. Kaunitz and his subordinates were aware of Count Fermor’s suspicious nature about true Austrian motives, which had become more pronounced after the absolute failure of Daun to send a force in 1758 to reinforce the Russians before Zorndorf.42 As a counter, Kaunitz took up the gauntlet by sending that friendly persuader, General Johann Anton Tillier, to St. Petersburg to try to cement Russian cooperation in the south rather than against Stettin with the Swedes.43 As for the suspicious nature of Fermor, he was also handicapped by the majority of his soldiers detesting him, in part because he was not Russian.44 Ultimately, the Russian decision was made to cooperate more fully with Marshal Daun,45 although if we strictly look at the best interests of Russia, it would likely have been better served to cooperate with the Swedes in the north against Stettin. Tillier reported this matter-of-factly to home.
Attempts were made to send troops to plunder/lay waste to Pomerania. A Russian force, led by Lt.-Gen. Mikhail Nikitich Volkonski, was pressed into Pomerania.46 Prussian posts, under Major-General Gustav Albrecht von Schlabrendorff, were very active to prevent roving Cossack irruptions into Pomerania. The Prussians were then (February 1759) reorganized under commander Platen with the specific purpose of delaying the main Russian advance. The enemy had violated one of the cardinal rules of war. Their magazines, instead of being located largely behind the Vistula and the main army, had actually been formed in front of the main army. This was a good idea if the foe was not an energetic one, as little effort would be required to keep the marching troops provisioned. Unfortunately for them, their opponent was far from torpid. And the weak screens which the Russians did allocate to guard their magazines were not adequate.47
The Eastern Front had not been quiescent. In the final week of February, General Wobersnow (adviser to Dohna) received orders to assemble men to march as soon as possible into Poland on Posen to destroy magazines there before the Russians could interfe
re. The Prussians were in their usual ranks: vanguard and the main body.48 Wobersnow readied 8,000 infantry/cavalry at Glogau (six battalions, 25 squadrons). He started on February 24, moving over the Oder at Lissa/Reisen (some 30 miles northeast). Here a Polish force of 1,000 men under Alexander Joseph Stanilaus Sulkowski was encountered, defeated and taken captive along with 15 guns. Then on to Posen, where the Prussians took up post at the end of the month. The magazines thereabouts were torched. About the same time, Colonel Platen took a body of horse which galloped along the Warta straight to Meseritz. Platen lost no time in capturing a major Russian magazine which he found there. Platen was trying for some mischief.49
Wobersnow himself paused at Posen for about a week, ransoming important citizens for money and living off those enemy stores not destroyed. March 4, the Prussian commander turned around and marched back to Glogau, carrying Sulkowski with him.50
The Russians had been excited by the wild rumors that the enemy had large bodies of troops roving in Poland. Wobersnow was reported with one column, and some of the rumor mill said the king himself had a second body of troops with him. Colonel Dalcke was shoved out to expedite the enemy’s retreat back towards their homeland in early March. To satisfy the rumor mongers, the Cossacks got down to business. General Kramachokow moved with a large force of men on Neu-Stettin. This town was in country controlled by the Prussians, and the bluecoats “had” to react. A force of Prussians thereabouts, under Captain Höhendorf (300 infantry), and Captain Wussow (about 100 dragoons), made it their mission to hound at Kramachokow’s light force.
The Cossack designs were completely frustrated, and they subsequently fell back towards the first division of Froloff Bagrey to seek a measure of security. The Prussians here lost Captain Wussow to a mortal wound.
Frederick the Great and the Seven Years' War Page 57
