w 



I' 



334 



A HISTORY OF CAVALRY. 



[period IV. 



I ! 



If i> 



obtaining information of his enemy's movements. In 

 1741, on the opening of the campaign, Frederick was in 

 profound ignorance of what was going on beyond his 

 own lines, through the clouds of light troops that in- 

 fested the whole country in front of him. His scout 

 service could not live among them, his reconnoitring 

 parties were stopped, and the enemy were covered by 

 an impenetrable veil.' 



In September and October, 1744, Frederick was placed 

 in great straits, through this superiority of the enemy's 

 light cavalry. They lurked in bushy wildernesses, in 

 rocky vaUeys, in scraggy woods. Driving them off, or 

 defeating them, was all in vain, for they fled rapidly, 

 and returned promptly on the cessation of pursuit. 

 Foraging was almost impossible, and only to be accom- 

 plished by sending out whole regiments together to 

 perform the service. Letters and orders coidd not be 

 carried from point to point without being intercepted. 

 Carlyle states that at this date the irregular horse shut 

 out the light of day, that as many as six orderlies were 

 despatched to an outlying general, and not one of them 

 could get through to him. Three letter-bags destined 

 for the king were taken, so that for four weeks he was 

 absolutely shut out from the rest of Europe, and knew 

 not in the least what the Emperor, the King of France, 

 or any other king was doing.^ 



At the skirmish of Tein Bridge, the irregular horse 

 attacked the Prussian rear-guard under Zicthen, and 

 although forcing the passage of the river, when they 

 came to close quarters, the iron discipline and steady 

 charges of the well-trained hussars enabled them to 

 beat them off and retire in good order. 



In October 1 744, when Frederick took up his position 

 in the camp of Konopischt, he foresaw that his garrisons 

 in Budweis, Tabor, and Frauenberg, would run risk of 

 capture. He sent therefore eight successive messengers 

 with orders to them to rejoin him. The whole eight 

 were captured by Austriiin parties of light horse, so that 



u 



^ Carlyle, iii. 224. 



2 Ibid. iv. 26. 



