ined a glorious victory over the united French leaders at Minden. His
nephew, the Crown Prince Ferdinand, also defeated another French army
under Brissac, on the same day, at Herford. The Imperial army, commanded
by its newly nominated leader, Charles of Wurtemberg, advanced, but was
attacked by the Crown Prince, while its commander was amusing himself at
a ball at Fulda, and ignominiously put to flight.

Frederick, although secure against danger from this quarter, was
threatened with still greater peril by the attempted junction of the
Russians and Austrians, who had at length discovered that the
advantages gained by Frederick had been mainly owing to the want of
unity in his opponents. The Russians under Soltikoff, accordingly,
approached the Oder. Frederick, at that time fully occupied with keeping
the main body of the Austrians under Daun at bay in Bohemia, had been
unable to hinder Laudon from advancing with twenty thousand men for the
purpose of forming a junction with the Russians. In this extremity he
commissioned the youthful general, Wedel, to use every exertion to
prevent the further advance of the Russians. Wedel was, however,
overwhelmed by the Russians near the village of Kay, and the junction
with Laudon took place.

Frederick now hastened in person to the scene of danger, leaving his
brother, Henry, to make head against Daun. On the banks of the Oder at
Kunersdorf, not far from Frankfort, the King attempted to obstruct the
passage of the enemy, in the hope of annihilating him by a bold
manoeuvre, which, however, failed, and he suffered the most terrible
defeat that took place on either side during this war (August 12, 1759).
He ordered his troops to storm a sand-mountain, bristling with
batteries, from the bottom of the valley of the Oder; they obeyed, but
were unable to advance through the deep sand, and were annihilated by
the enemy's fire. A ball struck the King, whose life was saved by the
circumstance of its coming in contact with an _etui_ in his waistcoat
pocket. He was obliged to be carried almost by force off the field when
all was lost. The poet Kleist, after storming three batteries and
crushing his right hand, took his sword in his left hand and fell while
attempting to carry a fourth.

Soltikoff, fortunately for the King, ceased his pursuit. The conduct of
the Russian generals was, throughout this war, often marked by
inconsistency. They sometimes left the natural ferocity of their
soldie