pi 



326 



A HISTORY OF CAVALRY. 



[period IV. 



right, nud soon placed twenty-eight gunt* in positioii 

 with Mty squadrons of horse in three lines forming their 

 left wing. Frederick was obliged under fire of cannon 

 to change his front to the right, the Austrian horse 

 sitting idly in their saddles watching the hurried 

 manceuvre. Not so with the Prussians. The king 

 ordered Buddenbrock to charge them up hill with his 

 cuirassiers. That general and his horsemen went into 

 them at a furious rate. The Austrians made no counter- 

 charge, no advance, but stood motionless in their ranks 

 and opened a sputtering fire of carbines upon the rapidly 

 advancing foe. Buddenbrock's followers paid no atten- 

 tion to the fire, but crashed through them in an instant, 

 tumbled them back in wild confusion, back upon the 

 second line, and rolled both further back upon the third 

 and swept the whole mass off the heights clear away into 

 the forest, out of which they returned no more during 

 the action.^ This one charge of cavalry turned the scale, 

 the infantry soon captured the battery, and the whole 

 Austrian left was driven from the field. Buddenbrock's 

 cavalry had not yet finished their work, however ; having 

 nothing further to do upon the right, they were moved 

 rapidly across to the Prussian left, which had been 

 refused up to that time. Reinforced by Buddenbrock 

 the left wing of the Prussian cavalry dashed vehemently 

 against the cavalry of the Austrian right, who did not 

 stand the storming rush of ib'^ Prussian horsemen, but 

 wavered and broke in flight tv...ardsthe woods in the 

 rear. The Prussians did not follow them, but turned to 

 the right upon the exposed flank of the Austrian infantry, 

 rolled it up, cut off" a slice of about 2,000 prisoners, and 

 put "the remainder to flight." This was the final blow 

 that settled the victory, and is as good an example of 

 skilful cavalry tactics as any we have met with in our 

 researches. 



In the surprise of Hochkirch, 14th October, 1758, the 



Austrian army again turned Frederick's right wing, and 



attacking in the night, drove his araiy from the ground. 



Here, agair however, the cavalry ^lerfcimed the most 



' Carlyle, iv. Un. 2 ^ja. ^4,^ 



