st
The Second Prussian Army
At 14:30 Crown Prince Frederick finally arrived with the main
bulk of his almost 100,000 men, having marched with all
possible haste all morning, and hit the Austrian right flank
retiring from Swiep Forest while the Prussian artillery
pounded the Austrian centre. By 16:00 the last individual
counter-attacks by the Austrian I and VI Corps were broken,
even as Benedek ordered a withdrawal. Lt. General Friedrich
Hiller von Gärtringen’s 1st Prussian Guard reached the
Austrian artillery, forcing them to stop reforming an artillery
line and pull back. He had attacked because he saw the
artillery as holding together the Austrian position, and his
attack destroyed the lone cavalry battery that stayed to fight,
and forced the others to flee, along with their reserves.
At this point, having taken severe casualties, lacking artillery
and cavalry cover, the high ground in enemy hands and the
centre being rolled up, the position for the Austrians
deteriorated rapidly. The Second Prussian Army completely
broke through the Austrian lines and took Chlum behind the
centre. The Army of the Elbe, which had merely held position
after the early morning bloodying by the Austrian artillery and
the Saxon infantry, attacked and broke through the Austrian
left flank. It seized Probluz, and proceeded to destroy the
Austrian flank. The Prussian king ordered all remaining forces
into the attack all along the line, which had been slowed by
the final counter-attack from the battalions of Brigadier
General Ferdinand Rosenzweig von Dreuwehr’s Austrian
brigade. The arriving reinforcements joined the fight just as
the Austrians had forced the 1st Prussian Guard back to
Chlum. The result was a decisive shock of firepower which
collapsed the Austrian line. The Prussian advance was so rapid
that Benedek ordered a series of cavalry counter charges to
bulk of his almost 100,000 men, having marched with all
possible haste all morning, and hit the Austrian right flank
retiring from Swiep Forest while the Prussian artillery
pounded the Austrian centre. By 16:00 the last individual
counter-attacks by the Austrian I and VI Corps were broken,
even as Benedek ordered a withdrawal. Lt. General Friedrich
Hiller von Gärtringen’s 1st Prussian Guard reached the
Austrian artillery, forcing them to stop reforming an artillery
line and pull back. He had attacked because he saw the
artillery as holding together the Austrian position, and his
attack destroyed the lone cavalry battery that stayed to fight,
and forced the others to flee, along with their reserves.
At this point, having taken severe casualties, lacking artillery
and cavalry cover, the high ground in enemy hands and the
centre being rolled up, the position for the Austrians
deteriorated rapidly. The Second Prussian Army completely
broke through the Austrian lines and took Chlum behind the
centre. The Army of the Elbe, which had merely held position
after the early morning bloodying by the Austrian artillery and
the Saxon infantry, attacked and broke through the Austrian
left flank. It seized Probluz, and proceeded to destroy the
Austrian flank. The Prussian king ordered all remaining forces
into the attack all along the line, which had been slowed by
the final counter-attack from the battalions of Brigadier
General Ferdinand Rosenzweig von Dreuwehr’s Austrian
brigade. The arriving reinforcements joined the fight just as
the Austrians had forced the 1st Prussian Guard back to
Chlum. The result was a decisive shock of firepower which
collapsed the Austrian line. The Prussian advance was so rapid
that Benedek ordered a series of cavalry counter charges to
back up his artillery and cover the general retreat he ordered at
15:00. These were successful at covering the Austrian rear,
keeping the bridges over the Elbe open for retreating Austrian
soldiers, and preventing pursuit by the Prussians, but at a
terrible cost: 2,000 men and almost as many horses were killed,
wounded or captured in the action. Benedek himself crossed the
Elbe near 18:00 and several hours later informed the emperor
that the catastrophe of which he had warned had indeed
occurred.
High Casualties
The battle ended with a high casualty rate for both sides. The
Prussians had nearly 9,000 men killed, wounded or missing.
The Austrians and allies had over 44,000 men killed, wounded
or missing, with 22,000 of these being prisoners. What made
the losses for the Austrians higher was that Austria had refused
to sign the First Geneva Convention. Hence their medical
personnel were regarded as combatants, and withdrew from the
field with the main bulk of the forces, leaving the wounded to
die on the field.
Aftermath
Königgrätz was the decisive battle of the Austro-Prussian War;
an armistice signed at Prague ensued three weeks later. It
provided a great opportunity for Prussian statesmen, by clearing
a path toward German Unification, in particular with the Little
Germany or Germany without Austria solution, with the
subsequent foundation of the North German Confederation.
The French public resented the Prussian victory and demanded
“Revanche pour Sadova” or “Revenge for Sadowa”, which
formed part of the build-up to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.
Reproduced from Wikipedia
15:00. These were successful at covering the Austrian rear,
keeping the bridges over the Elbe open for retreating Austrian
soldiers, and preventing pursuit by the Prussians, but at a
terrible cost: 2,000 men and almost as many horses were killed,
wounded or captured in the action. Benedek himself crossed the
Elbe near 18:00 and several hours later informed the emperor
that the catastrophe of which he had warned had indeed
occurred.
High Casualties
The battle ended with a high casualty rate for both sides. The
Prussians had nearly 9,000 men killed, wounded or missing.
The Austrians and allies had over 44,000 men killed, wounded
or missing, with 22,000 of these being prisoners. What made
the losses for the Austrians higher was that Austria had refused
to sign the First Geneva Convention. Hence their medical
personnel were regarded as combatants, and withdrew from the
field with the main bulk of the forces, leaving the wounded to
die on the field.
Aftermath
Königgrätz was the decisive battle of the Austro-Prussian War;
an armistice signed at Prague ensued three weeks later. It
provided a great opportunity for Prussian statesmen, by clearing
a path toward German Unification, in particular with the Little
Germany or Germany without Austria solution, with the
subsequent foundation of the North German Confederation.
The French public resented the Prussian victory and demanded
“Revanche pour Sadova” or “Revenge for Sadowa”, which
formed part of the build-up to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.
Reproduced from Wikipedia
Below. Prussian Jagers.
