The Seven Weeks' War

by H M Hozier

  On the further side of the March, which lay about half a mile from the headquarter schloss, wide pasture lands, dotted with clumps of willow-trees, stretched over a flat plain, which was raised but a few feet above the level of the water in the river towards the Carpathian Mountains, that rise about fifteen miles to the east. This plain was covered with droves of horses, pigs, and large white cattle, with broad outstretched horns about as large as those of buffaloes. These droves were tended by boys, clad some in proper Hungarian costume, but more frequently in a white flannel cloak, which, hanging from their shoulders down to their ankles, formed their only covering. But, wild though the country might be, the Prussian generals viewed it with favour, for it was generally clear and open, and would be a fair field for their needle-guns and rifle artillery. Over this plain, on the left bank of the March, the eighth Prussian division scoured the whole country between the stream and the mountains.

  But it did not seem probable that these weapons would be required till the Prussians advanced on Vienna. No Austrians were reported in front of the outposts, and it appeared that the Archduke Albrecht intended to wait in his works at Florisdorf until the Prussians either attacked him there, or attempted the passage of the Danube at some other point In the meantime, while the needle-gun was not in active use, its merits formed an endless topic of conversation in the army. Of course, its success had made it a great favourite, and the Prussians, both men and officers, considered the victories which were won at Gitschin and Podoll by its means to have established its claim to be regarded as the best weapon in existence.

  It has certainly been most satisfactorily proved that the zündnadelgewehr is better than the Austrian muzzle-loader, but we had a pretty good idea before this war took place that any breech-loader would be a better arm for infantry than any muzzle-loader; and though the great slaughter of the Austrians in the actions of this campaign brought the fact more forcibly before our notice, nothing has been elicited in the late war to prove that the needle-gun is better or even equal to many breech-loading rifles that have been invented more lately. The success of the needle-gun has established the superiority of the breech-loading over the muzzle-loading principle; but there are many breech-loaders better adapted for all the purposes of warfare than the needle-gun, and any nation which may arm its troops with a servile imitation of the Prussian arm may probably find that the next European war will show the trouble to have been in vain, and the expenses of the armament thrown away. (In 1870-71 the chassepot was universally acknowledged to be a better weapon than the needle-gun).

  Many attempts were made on the afternoon of the 19th to see the Stephanenthurm of Vienna, but the tower could not be seen; for, although the country is in general flat, many swelling undulations of ground lay between Duernkruth and the capital, which impeded the view. Even from the railway embankment at Gänserndorf it could not be made out, for a rising ground covered with corn lay directly between the village and the city, and a man standing on the embankment was not raised high enough to see over the swell Nor could a glimpse be caught of the position of Florisdorf, or even of the Bisamberg, which was also reported to be entrenched, and defended by heavy artillery. The Prussian advance had been so rapid that it was almost impossible to realise that the army was within thirty miles of the Austrian capital, and the troops of the First Army would have been glad of some visible proof which would assure them of its proximity; but as yet they could have none, and many thought that perhaps the first palpable proof of their near approach to Vienna might be the reports of the Austrian guns, which were to dispute the passage of the Danube.

  On the evening of the 21st July the Cabinet of Vienna expressed itself willing to enter upon a suspension of hostilities for five days, on the basis of the Prussian proposals, and on the evening of the 22nd an armistice for that time was agreed upon at Nikolsburg. It came into effect at noon on the 22nd, and was to expire at mid-day on the following Friday, the 27th. But an action was fought on the morning of the 22nd, by the seventh and eighth divisions, who moved at daybreak that day on Preszburg, by the left bank of the March. The eighth division had moved down the left bank of that river from Göding by way of St. Johann and Malaczka in Hungary, and on the 21st had neared Stampfen.

  On the 21st the seventh division crossed the March, at Marchegg, under General Franzecky, who was placed in command of all the troops on the left bank of the stream. Prince Frederick Charles knew that on the 22nd General Benedek would throw his leading divisions over the Danube at Preszburg. If then he could seize that place, the remainder of the feldzeugmeister’s troops would have to make a détour by Komorn before arriving at Vienna. The commander-in-chief of the First Army, not being aware that any decision had been arrived at relative to the suspension of hostilities, on hearing on the night of the 21st that the Austrians were in position to bar the way near the village of Bystenitz, was forced to order General Franzecky to attack them, and so a combat was commenced.

  On the evening of the 21st the seventh and eighth divisions, under the orders of General Franzecky, were bivouacked on the road which leads down the left side of the March from Göding to Preszburg, and occupied a position on that road between the villages of Stampfen and Bystenitz, with their advanced guard pushed forward a little in front of the latter village. The quartermaster-general of the First Army, General Stülpnagel, attended by Count Hasler, of the general staff, had that afternoon been making a reconnaissance of the Austrian positions on the north of the Danube, and arrived in the evening at the bivouacs of Franzecky’s divisions. It was soon found that the Austrians held the village of Blumenau, which lies on the same road, about five miles nearer Preszburg, in strong force; and as it was extremely desirable to secure the town of Preszburg as quickly as possible, Count Hasler was despatched to Ebenthal to request Prince Frederick Charles’s permission for an attack to be made on Blumenau.

  The staff-officer reached headquarters towards midnight At this time Prince Frederick Charles was ignorant that an armistice would be agreed to, and he sent back the desired permission. A little after midnight Count Hasler left the headquarters of the First Army at Ebenthal, and started on his return journey, carrying this important order, on which so much might depend. Thirty miles of bad road lay between Ebenthal and Bystenitz; the night was very dark, there was no moon, and clouds shut out even the dim light which the stars might have afforded; but the staff-officer pushed his horse resolutely over the March by the repaired bridge at Anger, along twisting country lanes, past wide ditches and morasses, reached Bystenitz safely at the first streaks of dawn, and communicated the Prince’s message to General Franzecky. Franzecky at once made his dispositions for attack. At the same time Prince Frederick Charles sent orders to General Hann to support Franzecky with his division of cavalry.

  The road from Bystenitz to Blumenau, which is a distance of about five English miles, runs close below the extreme westerly spurs of the Lower Carpathians, which rise high on the left of a traveller journeying from the former to the latter place. The ground on the right until the road strikes the railway from Gänserndorf to Preszburg is flat and level. The mountains on the left are broken by steep and rough ravines, down which run little rivulets, making their way with perpetual cascades towards the March or the Danube; between the courses of these rivulets the spurs of the mountains swell out in bluff undulations into the plain through which runs the river March. The ground on the mountain sides is everywhere rough and broken, large stones are scattered over it, and in many places jagged lumps of rock start out of the soil and form natural fortresses to oppose the passage of troops up the hills.

  A dense forest of oak and pine trees, which, from being untended, have grown close together, and intertwined their branches so as to form a network of dark-green foliage, through which a man can hardly penetrate, grows upon the sides of the ravines and the less steep spurs of the mountains, and runs up the sides of the hills all the way from Bystenitz to Preszburg. The roads through the wood are few and at long distan
ces apart; none are practicable for any troops except foot soldiers, and only for these when moving with a very narrow front. At Blumenau the road leads to the left, and runs straight to Preszburg through a defile in the hills, being crossed near to this village by the railway which leads from Gänserndorf to Preszburg, and which, after crossing the road, runs along the left-hand side of the latter through the same defile.

  On the side of the road and railway opposite to Blumenau, and about three-quarters of a mile to the right, lies the little village of Kaltenbrun, situated on rough, broken hills called the Theben-Berger, which are thickly clothed with fir woods, and fill up the whole triangle enclosed between the railway, the March, and the Danube. About three miles from Blumenau, nearer Preszburg, the road and railway, side by side, pass over a little rivulet which supplies the stream to turn the wheels of two watermills—one situated upon each side of the way; above these mills on the left-hand side rises a portion of hill rather higher than the surrounding spurs and less thickly covered with forest, called the Gämsen-Berg; a footpath which leaves the high road at Bystenitz leads up the mountain side to the left of the road, and after a steep and rugged ascent descends equally roughly, and again joins the main road behind the watermills coming down beside the Gämsen-Berg.

  The Austrian position was shrouded by the woods and by the broken ground, but a reconnaissance, made with considerable difficulty, showed that they were in great force. Their centre held the villages of Blumenau and Kaltenbrun and the ground between, the left was in the fir woods on the Theben-Berger stretching toward the March. Their right extended from the village of Blumenau about half a mile up the lower spurs of the Carpathians. The position was strong and formidable, the ground was extremely favourable to the defenders, and gave no open field for the play of the needle-gun; but Franzecky not only determined to carry the position, but also had the bold design of cutting off from Preszburg and capturing the greater part of the defending force and all their artillery, and in all human probability he would have done so had not the good fortune of Austria brought the combat to a premature close.

  General Bose was directed to take two regiments, the 21st and 71st, each of three battalions, making a total force of under 5,000 men—for these regiments had had their ranks thinned by the war—by the mountain path leading from Bystenitz, and gain the rear of the enemy near the Gämsen-Berg, so as to cut off their retreat to Preszburg, while Franzecky himself determined, with the remainder of his troops, to attack the position in front. About half-past four in the morning Bose’s men began their march, and, disappearing into the wood to the left, began their ascent of the difficult mountain path. Their way was long and rugged, so that time had to be allowed them to gain the GämsenBerg, and it was not till after six that Franzecky gave the signal for the advance of the troops on the main road.

  Then the advance guard began to move briskly forward, and the rest of the little army followed in battle array. Skirmishers pushed forward through the fields on the left, pushing up close to the wood on the mountain side; their supports moved in small clumps here and there behind them; a larger body marched along the road, and behind them, spread out right and left, came the heavy columns of the infantry and the broad-fronted batteries of guns. On the right of the road a squadron of the 10th Hussars glided with the cheery noise of clinking sabres and ringing steel over the meadows and flat stubble field, pushing forwards to feel their way—scouts, who, carbine in hand, spread, a thin curtain of horsemen, before the main body. Scarcely had the troops begun to move when the morning sun burst brightly from the clouds over the Carpathians, and fell upon the bright swords of the cavalry, the glittering bayonets and rifles of the infantry, and even managed to draw a twinkling reflection from the darkly-browned steel of the artillery guns. The Prussian soldiers greeted it with joy, for their frames were chilled with their night’s bivouac, and they marched in the full confidence that before it set it would have lighted them to another victory.

  Slowly and steadily the columns moved; the men were very silent, for they all felt that stem subdued excitement which always appears to pervade every breast when a battle is close at hand; and the sound of the measured tread of the battalions, and the heavy nimble of the guns, rose into the air almost unbroken. The advanced guard, consisting of the 72nd regiment, approached to within three thousand paces of the point where the railway, marked by its long line of spectral telegraph posts, could be seen closing into the road from the right, and where the dark green fir-woods behind it showed that there was the Austrian position; but no signs of the enemy could be seen, except two squadrons of lancers, one considerably in rear of the other, which stood on the level ground to the right of the road in front of the railway, motionless as statues, with the pennons of their lances faintly fluttering in the breeze.

  Then suddenly the well-known cloud of white smoke, which shows where a gun has been fired, rose from the raised ground between Blumenau and Kaltenbrun, and a whizzing whistling shell rushed through the air, over the heads of the hussars on the right of the road. The Prussian guns came quickly into action, and opened on the spot where the cloud of smoke had risen, and where, in a few moments, repeated flashes of fire and many more clouds of heavy hanging smoke announced that a strong Austrian battery had its post. While the artillery fight was going on, the dark green hussars on the right began to move quickly forward, and rushed in full career against the foremost squadron of Austrian lancers. These did not stand motionless now. Slowly at first, and then more quickly, they began to advance against the hussars; and when the two squadrons came within a few hundred yards of each other, both urged their horses to their utmost speed, and with a mighty clatter dashed together.

  The rough embrace lasted but for a moment; then the lancers scattered and fled, for the hussars were stronger and better mounted, and their mere weight smashed the lancers’ ranks. These pursued a short distance, capturing several prisoners; but they could not follow far, for the other squadron of lancers looked threatening, and the hussars had no reserves near at hand The cavalry combat, though so short, was severe; many men were down on both sides, and Major von Hymen, commanding the hussars, had the whole side of his face laid open, but refused to quit the field, and commanded his squadron throughout the day.

  In the meantime the cannonade increased in the centre, more Prussian guns were brought into action, and more Austrian pieces were firing between Blumenau and Kaltenbrun; and at eight o’clock, when the action had lasted about an hour, forty Austrian and thirty-six Prussian guns were pounding against each other. Casualties began to increase; one Prussian battery in particular was rapidly being unhorsed, for the Austrians were making good practice, and their shells were generally bursting at the proper moment.

  Half an hour later an officer arrived from Prince Frederick Charles to announce that an armistice was agreed upon, and that it was to commence at mid-day; but Franzecky could not stop the fight, for Bose was with his brigade committed in the mountains, and if the grand front attack ceased he would probably before noon be captured. But no infantry was sent forward, and the combat was confined to artillery fire alone for more than two hours.

  Then Franzecky, fearing for Bose, determined to attack the Austrian position with energy, and made his dispositions for a general advance. General Gordon, with four battalions, was ordered to move by a mountain path, which, leaving the road near where the artillery was at present, runs lower down the hills than the way taken by Bose, and comes out on the road again near Blumenau; when he felt the Austrian right, he was to attack it with vigour and occupy the village of Blumenau. At the same time, two battalions were sent against the fir-woods near Kaltenbrun to attack the Austrian left, and, if possible, to seize that village, while the main body and the artillery were to move straight against the front.

  The guns were limbered up; the two battalions began moving over the plain towards the wood of Kaltenbrun; Gordon was already on the hillside, and the main body advanced for about one thousand paces, when the gun
s, again unlimbered, came into action, and renewed their fire on the Austrian batteries. About eleven o’clock the two battalions came within easy distance of the wood near Kaltenbrun, and were received by a biting fire from the Austrian sharpshooters among the trees, while to the rear of the guns between Blumenau and Kaltenbrun they could see heavy masses of infantry ready to resist the front attack. The Prussian battalions immediately opened out and began to fire against the infantry in the wood; but the trees hid their antagonists, and they did not seem to cause much diminution of the fire from the forest.

  In the meantime a message came from Bose to say that he had debouched on the Gämsen-Berg, and had there met the celebrated Austrian Schwarz and Gelh brigade. A severe fight took place here; the Austrians poured volley after volley into the head of Bose’s column as it attempted to come out of the trees, and so tangled was the jungle that the Prussian marksmen could hardly force through it in order to spread out on either side and open fire against the Austrians. But after a time they succeeded in penetrating through the thick trunks and interwoven branches, and the Prussians debouched and deployed on the Gämsen-Berg. Still the fight went on, but the Austrians were driven back step by step, and at last Bose seized the water-mills and planted his brigade across the road and railway to Preszburg, sending a messenger to General Franzecky to say that the enemy’s retreat was cut off, and that now the front attack might be pressed hard. It was the receipt of this message that caused Franzecky to order the general advance, but before the combat could be finished the laurels that he would have gained by the capture of the enemy, which would have certainly been the result of his skilful dispositions, were snatched from his grasp.