History of Prussia Author:Herbert Tuttle Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: intent mainly on his own retreat, and perhaps underestimating the energy of prince Charles, had not closely watched, were on the march down the Elbe. On the twen... more »ty-ninth of September their vanguard was at Arnau, opposite Trautenau, and farther north even than the king himself. Their evident design was to intercept the Prussian retreat to Schatzlar. The situation was critical. For several weeks the queen had been urging prince Charles to take the offensive, to annihilate the army of Frederic, to reconquer Silesia, and end cimriesin the war. His plea of inadequate strength had been answered by reinforcements. Two of the most experienced of the Austrian generals, prince Lobkowitz and the duke of Ahremberg, were sent to give him counsel, and stimulate his energy. These representations and measures, which were followed at last by positive orders,1 left him no further excuse for inaction ; and he was now in close pursuit of the foe. The movement had, however, a broader significance than the merd desire to intercept and defeat Austrian the single army of Frederic. It was part of a plam" comprehensive plan of action, which had been contemplated in the original alliance with Saxony, had been more definitely formed in subsequent councils of war, was encouraged by the favorable outlook of secret negotiations with France, and had even received in a measure the sanction of Russia. England had indeed practically withdrawn, by the treaty of Hanover, from this ambitious combination. With the defection of England, and the loss of any expected English subsidies for such an object, fell of course the hopes of an active participation by Russia. But while the irritation of Elizabeth against Prussia was growing keener, the Austrian court had labored, not without success, to cultivate closer relat...« less