[Text: ‘This is all the advantage we have derived from that dangerous and bloody battle.
I suspected what was going to happen, and I am very sorry to have been proved right’
– Frederick the Great about the results of the battle of Torgau]
Following the triumphant, yet incredibly costly end of the 1760 campaign, Frederick the Great
sought refuge in the city of Leipzig during the winter of 1760-61.
There, he tirelessly toiled to rebuild the strength of his person and his state, readying
himself for the ongoing war that lay ahead.
Despite his companions' unwavering support, the king's spirit was burdened with melancholy
and a sense of withdrawal, causing him to look far older than his mere forty-nine years.
In spite of fervent hopes for peace, the tenacious Austrians and French refused to lay down their
arms and persisted with the war.
Meanwhile, the Russians had welcomed their latest commander, the tsarina's beloved, Aleksandr
Borisovich Buturlin, to their ranks.
Marshal Daun, still recovering from the wound sustained at Torgau, anxious to resign and
more static than ever, was in command in Saxony.
His more audacious subordinate, Laudon, aimed to join forces with a Russian army led by
Buturlin, eagerly seeking to achieve a second Kunersdorf and vanquish their foes.
With the next campaign on the horizon, the Austrians planned to keep 60,000 troops stationed
in Saxony under the ever-vigilant Daun.
Simultaneously, they aimed to reinforce Loudon's ranks in Silesia with no fewer than 72,000
soldiers, all prepared to launch a grand and unrelenting offensive alongside the mighty
Russian army.
Frederick foresaw that Silesia would become the most active theatre of operations and
concentrated his best and most complete regiments, totalling around 55,000 soldiers, in that
region.
Meanwhile, Henry took command of the 28,000 poorish troops left in Saxony, while 14,000
men were posted in Pomerania, defending the vital port of Colberg against the Russians.
Under General Pyotr Rumyantsev, these laid siege to the stronghold in August.
Despite Frederick's best efforts to keep his two formidable enemies at bay, his plans ultimately
failed.
He even missed a golden opportunity to attack the Russians at Liegnitz on the 15th of August,
a move that in hindsight proved wise.
As fate would have it, the combined allied force numbered a staggering 130,000 soldiers.
Amidst this sea of enemies, Frederick meticulously constructed a secure refuge for his relatively
small army of 55,000 men.
After Buturlin's arrival and his successful link-up with Laudon four days later, the newly
joined commanders showed a great reluctance to launch an attack.
Although Frederick had predicted that Laudon would force the issue, it was not to be.
He confided in Prince Henry that "the Russians still have no desire to attack, but I think
Laudon will force them to."
Indeed, the Austrian commander made several attempts to break through the Prussian defenses,
but Frederick was ready.
He ordered his army to retreat to a fortified camp at Bunzelwitz, strategically located
to the northwest of Schweidnitz.
Prussian soldiers worked tirelessly for twelve hours a day, around the clock, to construct
an impenetrable network of trenches and palisades.
The Saxon Captain Tielke was so impressed by their efforts that he reported admiringly:
“In this location the Prussian army stood on a series of low and mostly gentle eminences,
which were utilized in a masterly fashion.
The approaches were by no means physically insurmountable, but what rendered them difficult
to reach were the little streams, the swampy meadows, and the enfilading and grazing fire
from the batteries on every side.”
The triumphant campaign thus far had cost the Prussian army a mere eight casualties
- two hussars and six free battalion men.
With his focus still firmly on Upper Silesia, Frederick moved his army on August 5th to
the central position of Strehlen, within a single march of the upper Oder and equally
distant from his fortresses at Breslau, Neisse, and Schweidnitz.
Breaking into Schweidnitz would have been a costly endeavour, with its 460 pieces of
artillery guarding the fortress.
The Russians, it seemed, had blinked first.
Buturlin initially told Laudon he would cooperate in a joint attack, but his confidence wavered,
causing him to have second thoughts.
It wasn't until September 9th that he finally gave up, retreating his army back east to
the river Oder and beyond.
In an effort to encourage him to leave, Frederick dispatched General Dubislav Friedrich von
Platen with a corps of 8000 troops to raid the Russian base areas in western Poland.
Buturlin's departure left Loudon with a formidable force of 80,000 regulars positioned on the
hill slopes at the southern edge of the Silesian plain.
Although Frederick held a low opinion of Loudon's abilities, he deemed it safe to leave the
Austrians in their camp and move closer to Neisse, where provisions were abundant.
At this point, the uneventful campaign should have come to a close, with both sides settling
into winter quarters.
Frederick, in fact, believed it was over.
In a letter to Prince Henry on September 27th, he asserted that it was next to impossible
for the Austrians in Saxony to attempt another raid on Berlin now that the Russians had departed.
As for the Austrians in Silesia, he was confident there was nothing to worry about.
But Frederick was wrong.
In the north, the Prussians faced a particularly aggressive Russian problem.
In mid-September 1761, the relentless Russians descended upon Pomerania, laying siege to
the feeble stronghold of Platen.
In response, a Prussian corps, led by Major-General Stutterheim, received the call to depart from
Western Pomerania and secure a strategic vantage point at Stettin.
With unwavering loyalty to the crown, Stutterheim rallied his troops and embarked on a perilous
march towards the coveted position, leaving behind only Hussar General Wilhelm Sebastian
von Belling and his loyal corps to fend off the impending Swedish invasion.
The Swedes had amassed a modest army of 13,791, including 3,098 cavalrymen and 1,152 infantry
soldiers.
The departure of Stutterheim presented a golden opportunity for the Swedish Field Marshal,
the esteemed Count Augustin Ehrensvärd, to seize the initiative and strike a decisive
blow against Belling’s outnumbered forces.
The Swedish army united under the leadership of two commanders, Lybecker and Sprengtporten.
It advanced towards Belling's corps in a pincer movement.
On September 17, Belling launched a daring assault on Lybecker's column, engaging them
in a fierce combat at Kosabroma.
His bold attack nearly succeeded, but he was ultimately forced to retreat.
[Battle sequence]
Undeterred by this setback, Belling withdrew towards Rothemühl, where he was to be joined
by two grenadier battalions sent as reinforcements from Stettin.
A force under Baron von der Goltz was meant to delay Lybecker.
Meanwhile, on the same day, Sprengtporten's vanguard relentlessly pursued major Knobelsdorf's
detachment, consisting of 200 infantry and 50 hussars, who had been defending a stronghold
close by and were now on their way to link up with Belling.
Sprengtporten sent a battalion of Skaraborgs Infantry towards Rothemühl, as it became
clear the Prussians would converge here.
On the 18th of September, Belling, leading his vanguard, arrived at Neuensund, opposite
of the Skaraborgs Infantry battalion that held Rothemühl, just 6 km to the east.
With the three companies Frei-Infanterie von Hordt, Hullesen and Kenewitz and a hundred
hussars by his side, Belling knew that the time for action was at hand.
Though the Swedish positions were unyielding, Belling's vanguard unleashed a deafening cannonade
upon their enemy, causing mayhem without attempting to launch an all-out assault.
Belling waited with bated breath for the arrival of his remaining infantry, five companies,
and two grenadier battalions from Pasewalk.
The two battalions, however, were delayed, and Belling's senses were suddenly awoken
by the sounds of a fierce engagement at his rear.
Lybecker's column had engaged the detachment left behind to delay his advance.
The two companies and two squadrons were under attack, making it all the more crucial for
Belling to act quickly.
Belling had to defeat Sprengtporten in order to have any hope of victory.
Lybecker, sensing that he was outnumbered, limited his action to musketry fire, hoping
for Sprengtporten's arrival.
As the sun reached its highest point at 11:00 AM, the two grenadier battalions arrived at
Neuensund.
Without a moment's hesitation, Belling commanded them to launch a flanking movement against
the forest.
At the same moment, Sprengtporten's main corps appeared on the road from Wilhelmsburg, ready
to launch a fierce counter-attack.
The Swedish grenadiers stood resolute in the centre, Frikompanie Lille and Sprengtporten
on the right wing, and Frikompanie Lundberg and Ehrenhielm on the left wing.
The cavalry and the rest of the infantry stood ready in reserve, awaiting the battle cry.
As the two armies drew nearer, the tension was palpable.
The Prussian forces were arranged in a formation, with Grenadier Battalion Ingersleben leading
the charge, flanked by Grenadier Battalion Rothkirch, Frei-Infanterie Hordt, and the
Belling Hussars.
As the lines collided, the sound of swords clashing and muskets firing filled the air.
Grenadier Battalion Ingersleben charged towards Frikompanie Lille and Sprengtporten, breaking
through and pushing forward with great force, leaving the rest of the Prussian forces behind.
Ingersleben pressed forward so quickly that they soon found themselves isolated and in
danger.
Sprengtporten's younger brother Göran Magnus cunningly outflanked them, trapping them in
a small wood where they were attacked on every side by the Swedish infantry, including the
fierce First Swedish Grenadiers, Frikompanie Lundberg, and Frikompanie Silfverströms.
Despite their bravery, Grenadier Battalion Ingersleben was forced to retreat, losing
two-thirds of their men.
The Prussians were forced to withdraw, fearful of being caught between the two Swedish columns.
They retreated to Taschenberg and Gehren, sending the two grenadier battalions back
to Pasewalk.
As the sun set, they marched westwards and then southwards towards Strasburg.
The Swedish columns of Lybecker and Sprengtporten united at Schönhausen and marched back to
Woldegk and Strasburg.
The battle was not without loss, with the Prussians losing around 300-50, including
11 NCOs and 287 men from Grenadier Battalion Ingersleben.
Grenadier Battalion Rothkirch too, shed blood for their cause, losing 2 of their own and
1 officer, as well as 3 privates wounded.
The Swedes, in turn, also felt the sting of battle, losing 1 of their own officers, with
37 of their men paying the ultimate price.
5 officers and 76 men fought bravely through their wounds, while 9 remained missing, and
26 were taken as prisoners of war.
Despite the intense struggle, the outcome of the battle had little influence on the
greater war effort.
[Aftermath] [Text: “Have I really been at war with the
Swedes?”
In all seriousness the envoys replied in the affirmative.
“Oh yes, I remember now,” answered Frederick, “my Colonel Belling had some dealings with
them” - Frederick to Swedish envoys during peace negotiations, 1762]
The combat at Neuensund was but a mere footnote in an already slow campaign.
Nevertheless, for Frederick, three more incidents would come to pass that year, one welcome,
while the other two were decidedly not.
The first of these was a brilliant piece of work by General von Platen and his corps of
about 8,000.
On the 15th of September, they fearlessly attacked the main Russian supply base at Gostyn
in Poland, causing great destruction by destroying 5,000 wagons and taking 1,845 prisoners and
seven artillery pieces.
Unbowed, they moved on towards the Prussian fortress of Colberg on the Pomeranian coast,
continuing to disrupt the Russian supply lines as they went.
Yet, the exultation of the victory at Gostyn was short-lived, for news of a tragic calamity
followed closely on its heels.
On 1 October, the dreaded Laudon launched a sudden night attack and captured the impregnable
fortress of Schweidnitz, leaving Frederick stunned and bewildered.
The significance of this loss was not lost on him, for Schweidnitz controlled the passes
from Bohemia via Friedland and was the key to Lower Silesia.
To make matters worse, the fortress of Glatz, which covered the routes from Königgrätz
to Neisse, had already fallen into Austrian hands.
As the year drew to a close, a series of ill-fated news had cast a shadow of gloom over the land.
The mighty fortress of Colberg, a bastion of defense against the enemy forces, had fallen
to the Russian invaders on December 16th.
With this critical stronghold now under their control, the Russians had gained a vital port
that would allow them to transport their supplies and troops with ease.
It was a dark moment for the defenders of the realm, for the first time in ages, the
Russians could bask in the warmth of Pomerania and the Austrians could bide their time in
Silesia, safe from the biting cold of winter.
Meanwhile, in the heart of Saxony, Prince Henry's camp at Meissen had been overrun by
the relentless forces of Daun, forcing him to retreat in disarray.
The only flicker of hope in the midst of this dreary winter was the sight of the French
forces, who had retired to their quarters in November after an extended and arduous
campaign.
The French had hoped for more significant gains that year, but alas, they were left
empty-handed, their efforts dashed against the unyielding defenses of the enemy.
The year 1761 was a somber one, with no major battles fought on the main eastern front,
save for the clash of arms that erupted on 15-16 July near the river Lippe in Vellinghausen.
Here, Prince Ferdinand and his forces emerged victorious, dealing a decisive blow to the
enemy.
Though the campaign persisted, this triumph ensured that the enemy would not taste the
sweet fruit of victory in Hanover that year.
Despite the apparent lull in the fighting, there was a sense of weariness that hung over
the allied forces, as they found themselves trapped in a repetitive cycle of strategy.
As the days grew shorter and the winter chill crept in, Frederick and his army sought refuge
in the royal Schloss at Breslau, where the mood was as dark and gloomy as the war itself.
Frederick was plagued by headaches and despondency, and the palace itself lay in ruin, testament
to the devastation wrought by Loudon's bombardment in the previous year.
Never before had the Prussian army been forced to retreat so far into Silesia, and the Austrians
seized the opportunity to establish their troops in cantonments on the Prussian side
of the border, marking a turning point in the war.
The tides of fortune were shifting, and there was no reason to assume next year would bring
any more positive news.