Battle of Soor
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Soor saw Frederick the Great's Prussia
n army defeat an Austro-Saxon
army led by Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine
during the War of the Austrian Succession
. After early setbacks, Frederick's Prussians were victorious.
, Prince Charles exploited Frederick's carelessly laid "Camp of Staudenz" to launch a surprise attack on the diminished Prussian army. Having stripped off many detachments during his march through Bohemia, Frederick's numbers had been reduced to 22,500 effectives. Prince Charles then discovered that Frederick had failed to occupy the Graner-Koppe, the hill north of Burkersdorf
that dominated the landscape to the east and south. Prince Charles loaded it up with musketeers, grenadiers, cavalry and 16 heavy guns, and extended the remainder of his army in line to the south.
General Buddenbrock
's troopers opened the assault by driving the Austrian horse from the high ground
. But the cavalry attack ran into Austrian infantry and was turned back by musket fire. The Graner-Koppe was then under infantry attack as well. Elite Prussian grenadiers marched right up to the muzzles of the heavy guns and were decimated by a combination of cannon and musket fire. The second line surged forward, fighting through Austrian grenadiers, and captured the summit, putting the dangerous battery out of action.
Meanwhile, the Austrian right wing was engaged in its own separate battle as the Prussians moved to clear Burkersdorf. After nearly bogging down under yet another battery near the town, Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick
's troops finally cracked the Austrian center. The Austrians relinquished the field, and Frederick overcame the most dangerous predicament of his career. ("I was in the soup up to my ears.")
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n army defeat an Austro-Saxon
Kingdom of Saxony
The Kingdom of Saxony , lasting between 1806 and 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. From 1871 it was part of the German Empire. It became a Free state in the era of Weimar Republic in 1918 after the end of World War...
army led by Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine
Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine
Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine was a Lorraine-born Austrian soldier.-Background:Charles was the son of Leopold Joseph, Duke of Lorraine and Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans...
during the War of the Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
. After early setbacks, Frederick's Prussians were victorious.
Background
Three months after the battle of HohenfriedbergBattle of Hohenfriedberg
The Battle of Hohenfriedberg or Hohenfriedeberg, also known as the battle of Striegau, now Dobromierz, was one of the crowning achievements of Frederick the Great...
, Prince Charles exploited Frederick's carelessly laid "Camp of Staudenz" to launch a surprise attack on the diminished Prussian army. Having stripped off many detachments during his march through Bohemia, Frederick's numbers had been reduced to 22,500 effectives. Prince Charles then discovered that Frederick had failed to occupy the Graner-Koppe, the hill north of Burkersdorf
Trutnov
Trutnov is a city in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has a population of 31,239 and lies in the Krkonoše in the valley of the Úpa River....
that dominated the landscape to the east and south. Prince Charles loaded it up with musketeers, grenadiers, cavalry and 16 heavy guns, and extended the remainder of his army in line to the south.
Battle
The Prussians detected the Austrian presence, however, and moved first to the attack despite all the Austrian advantages of surprise and terrain. Marching in column formation, Frederick directed his army to the north where the battle opened with an Austrian cannonade upon the helpless columns of cavalry as they passed beneath the Graner-Koppe. Having weathered the fire, the cavalry deployed to the north of the hill.General Buddenbrock
Wilhelm Dietrich von Buddenbrock
Wilhelm Dietrich Freiherr von Buddenbrock was a Prussian Generalfeldmarschall and cavalry leader.-Biography:...
's troopers opened the assault by driving the Austrian horse from the high ground
High ground
High ground is a spot of elevated terrain which can be useful in military tactics. Fighting from an elevated position is easier for a number of reasons. Soldiers will tire more quickly when fighting uphill, will move more slowly, and if fighting in formation will have little ability to see beyond...
. But the cavalry attack ran into Austrian infantry and was turned back by musket fire. The Graner-Koppe was then under infantry attack as well. Elite Prussian grenadiers marched right up to the muzzles of the heavy guns and were decimated by a combination of cannon and musket fire. The second line surged forward, fighting through Austrian grenadiers, and captured the summit, putting the dangerous battery out of action.
Meanwhile, the Austrian right wing was engaged in its own separate battle as the Prussians moved to clear Burkersdorf. After nearly bogging down under yet another battery near the town, Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick
Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick
Ferdinand, Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg , was a Prussian field marshal known for his participation in the Seven Years' War...
's troops finally cracked the Austrian center. The Austrians relinquished the field, and Frederick overcame the most dangerous predicament of his career. ("I was in the soup up to my ears.")