Campaign of 1760.—The year opened gloomily for Frederick. His embarrassment both for men and money was extreme, and his enemies had at last agreed on a combined plan against him. They purposed to advance in three columns concentrically upon him : Daun with ioo,000 men in Saxony, Loudon with 50,000 from Silesia, Soltikov's Russians from East Prussia; and, against whichever column the king turned, the others were to continue towards Berlin. Only in Hanover were the conditions more favourable, for Ferdinand had 70,000 (20,000 British) against the 12 5,000 of the French.
Early in April the king stood with 40,000 men, west of the Elbe near Meissen facing Daun, Prince Henry with 34,000 in Silesia from Crossen to Landeshut, 15,000 under Forcade and Jung-Stutterheim in Pomerania facing the Swedes and Russians. Towards the end of May Loudon moved to besiege Glatz, and Fouque, who commanded at Landeshut, marched with 13,00o to cover Breslau. Loudon at once seized Landeshut, and Fouque, returning in response to urgent orders from the king, was attacked by Loudon with 31,00o men and almost destroyed. Meanwhile, Prince Henry had moved to Landsberg against the Russians, but failed to seize his opportunities and thus Silesia lay open to the Austrians. Frederick decided to march with his main body against Loudon and attack him if unsupported, but, if his move ment induced Daun to move to Loudon's support, then to double back and besiege Dresden. For this purpose a siege train was held in readiness at Magdeburg. He marched rapidly on Bautzen, then hearing that Daun was approaching to support Loudon he returned and besieged Dresden (July 12). The town was bom barded, there being no time for regular siege approaches, but it held out, and by the 28th of July Daun's army returning had almost surrounded Frederick. The siege had to be raised, and during the night of July 29 the Prussians slipped away to Meissen. On the same day Frederick learnt that Glatz, the key to Southern Silesia, had fallen into the hands of the Austrians, but as a set off the news shortly afterwards arrived of Prince Ferdinand's brilliant victory at Warburg, in which the British cavalry led by the marquis of Granby amply wiped out the disgrace incurred by Sackville.
On Aug. I Frederick began his march into Silesia, summoning Prince Henry from Landsberg to join him, which he did by a splendid march of some 90 m. in three days. The king's march was almost as remarkable, for the roads were very bad and the Austrians had freely obstructed them ; nevertheless in five days he reached Bautzen, having marched more than ioo m. from his
starting-point, and crossed five considerable rivers on his way. Thence he continued more easily to Bunzlau. Daun was in front of him and Lacy with clouds of light troops on his right, the Russians under Czernicheff with Loudon not far away to his left front, 114,0m men in all to his 30,000, but he held to his decision to reach Schweidnitz. With this purpose in view he moved south east on Jauer, marching 25 m. on Aug. 9, but the enemy was still in front of him and hovering on his flanks. On the loth he tried the Liegnitz road with the same result, and his position became desperate as his food was almost exhausted. He had already cov ered 15 m. that day, but at 11 P.M. he called on his men for a night march and formed up again on his old position next morn ing, Aug. 11. He appeared to be completely surrounded, and things looked so desperate that Mitchell, the British ambassador, burnt his papers and cipher key. At sunset on the 12th, however, Frederick again broke camp and by a night march evaded the enemy's scouts and reached Liegnitz at noon on the i3th, the Austrians appearing a couple of hours later. The troops rested during the 13th and i4th, but at nightfall, leaving their watch fires burning, marched off by the Glogau road, and the only way of escape still open. The Austrians, however, had planned a night attack, and Loudon's columns were moving to close this last loophole of escape. Fortunately for the Prussians they arrived just a few minutes too late, and in the combat that ensued 15,00o Prussians inflicted a loss of Io,000 men and 82 guns upon their assailants, afterwards resuming their march undisturbed.
But the danger was not yet over. Czernicheff was known to be in the immediate vicinity; so as to get him out of the way, Frederick gave to a peasant a despatch addressed to Prince Henry containing the words : "Austrians totally defeated to-day, now for the Russians. Do what we agreed upon." The peasant was to take care to be captured by the Russians and only give up the paper to save his life. The plan worked as he had anticipated, the paper duly reached Czernicheff's hands and he immediately evacuated the dangerous neighbourhood. Elated with his success the king now abandoned his retreat on Glogau and determined to press on at all hazards to Breslau, which in spite of many anxious moments he reached on Aug. 17.