Battle of Lobositz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Lobositz |
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| Part of the Third Silesian War (Seven Years' War) | |||||||
 Lithograph of the battle |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Prussia |
 Austria |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Frederick the Great | Maximilian Ulysses Browne | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 28,300 men 98 guns |
33,354 men 94 guns |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 2,906-3,300 | 2,984-3,291 | ||||||
The Battle of Lobositz was the first major land battle of the Seven Years' War. It happened on October 1, 1756, near the town of Lovosice in what is now the Czech Republic. King Frederick the Great of Prussia led his army against the Austrian forces commanded by Field Marshal Maximilian Ulysses Browne.
Frederick wanted to invade Bohemia, a rich area, but the Austrians stopped him. This battle forced the Prussian army to go back north into Saxony for the winter.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
Frederick the Great believed in attacking first. On August 29, 1756, he invaded Saxony with his army. Neither the Saxon nor the Austrian armies were ready for war. The Saxon army took a strong defensive spot near Pirna. Frederick decided to surround them and try to make them surrender by starving them out.
While the siege was happening, Frederick left some soldiers at Pirna. He then moved his main army south through the mountains of northern Bohemia. He wanted to set up a winter base in the rich Bohemian plain.
Meanwhile, the Austrian army, led by Field Marshal von Browne, had a strong base at Budin. Browne knew Frederick was coming. He also had a secret plan to help the Saxon army escape. He wanted to meet them near Königstein on the Elbe river.
Browne's spies told him that the Prussians would come out of the mountains near Lobositz. This town is now called Lovosice. So, Browne quickly moved his 33,000 men to Lobositz on September 28. He planned to surprise Frederick's army as they came out of the narrow mountain passes.
The Battle Begins
On the morning of October 1, 1756, a thick fog covered the area. Frederick's Prussian army marched towards Lobositz. They had no idea they were walking into a trap. Austrian soldiers, called irregulars, started firing from a hill called the Lobosch. This hill was an old volcano.
Frederick sent some soldiers to clear the hill. The Prussians also set up heavy cannons on a small hill called Homolka. From there, as the fog slowly cleared, Frederick and his officers thought they saw only a few enemy cavalry soldiers. They believed the Austrian army was retreating and had left only a small group behind.
The Prussian cannons on Homolka started firing at the Austrian cavalry. These cavalry soldiers kept moving to make it harder for the Prussians to hit them.
Fighting in the Fog
As the fog lifted, hidden Austrian cannons near Lobositz began to fire on the Prussian soldiers. Frederick's artillery commander brought up more Prussian cannons to fight back. For hours, the Prussian infantry stood in close lines and suffered many losses.
Frederick wanted to end the fight quickly. He ordered a small cavalry charge down the hill. About 1,200 Prussian cavalry soldiers charged the Austrian horsemen. They pushed them back towards the Elbe river.
However, the Prussian cavalry then ran into a hidden sunken road. Many Austrian irregulars and grenadiers were hiding there. The Prussians were also surprised by heavy fire from cannons and soldiers hidden in the village of Sullowitz.
As the Prussian cavalry tried to cross the sunken road, they were attacked by 1,300 fresh Austrian cavalry soldiers. The Prussians were forced to retreat with heavy losses. This showed Frederick that he was facing the entire Austrian army, not just a small group.
A Fierce Fight
Seeing his cavalry defeated, General Friedrich Leopold von Gessler, the Prussian cavalry chief, ordered a huge charge with all his remaining cavalry. He wanted to prove his bravery. Frederick watched, surprised, saying, "My God, what is my cavalry doing! They're attacking a second time, and nobody gave the order!"
The second charge had the same result, but on a larger scale. The Prussian cavalry were hit hard by hidden Austrian cannons and soldiers. They were also attacked by more Austrian cavalry. Some Prussians tried to cross a muddy stream to reach the main Austrian cannons. But their horses were too tired, and they were shot down. In the end, all of Frederick's cavalry were defeated and had to retreat.
Frederick thought he had lost the battle. He left the field and gave command to his generals, Bevern and Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick.
General Bevern did not give up. His soldiers on Lobosch hill had run out of ammunition. He brought more soldiers and told them, "What! Haven't you got bayonets? Skewer the dogs dead!" He led a charge up the slopes. The Austrians on Lobosch also ran out of ammunition and slowly fell back into the town.
The Prussian artillery commander ordered his cannons to set the town on fire. This forced the remaining Austrian defenders out. Sadly, many wounded soldiers were burned alive in the fire.
End of the Battle
As the sun set, both sides stopped fighting. Browne moved his remaining soldiers safely through Lobositz. Both armies camped for the night. Browne had lost about 2,900 men. The Prussians lost about the same number.
Frederick was still worried that night. But his generals convinced him that he had not lost the battle. The next morning, Frederick saw that Browne's army had left during the night. He was very relieved. Soldiers started saying, "These are no longer the same old Austrians," meaning the Austrians were much tougher now.
Aftermath
Both sides lost about 2,900 men. This was a bigger loss for the smaller Prussian army. Frederick declared Lobositz a victory because Browne had left the battlefield. However, Browne had achieved his goal: he stopped Frederick's advance and protected his own army. Frederick never went past Lobositz and retreated back into Saxony within two weeks. So, in terms of strategy, Browne had won.
Browne then led 8,000 men to rescue the Saxon army. He reached Königstein on October 11, as he had promised. But the Saxons did not cross the Elbe river as planned. Their prime minister, Count Bruhl, was trying to get a better deal from the Prussians.
By October 14, the Prussians found out about Browne's waiting army. They sent their own soldiers to block the way. The Saxon King Augustus III and his generals then surrendered their entire army to Frederick. Many Saxon regiments were forced to join the Prussian army. However, most of these soldiers later left the Prussian army. Some Saxon cavalry regiments managed to escape and fight for the Austrians.
Browne brought his rescue party safely back to his base. He had failed to rescue the Saxons, but it was not his fault. By the end of October, the entire Prussian army had left Bohemia and returned to Saxony for the winter. The first year of the Seven Years' War ended in a tie, but Austria was in a good position for the next year.
Images for kids
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Map of the Battle of Lobositz. Red is Prussian, blue Austrian army.
