trian prisoners.

He maintained himself until relieved by Frederick. The King hastened to
defend Silesia, for which Soltikoff's procrastination allowed him ample
opportunity. Daun had, it is true, succeeded in forming a junction with
Laudon at Liegnitz, but their camps were separate, and the two generals
were on bad terms. Frederick advanced close in their vicinity. An
attempt made by Laudon, during the night of August 15th, to repeat the
disaster of Hochkirch, was frustrated by the secret advance of the King
to his rencounter, and a brilliant victory was gained by the Prussians
over their most dangerous antagonist. The sound of the artillery being
carried by the wind in a contrary direction, the news of the action and
of its disastrous termination reached Daun simultaneously; at all
events, he put this circumstance forward as an excuse, on being, not
groundlessly, suspected of having betrayed Laudon from a motive of
jealousy. He retreated into Saxony. The regiment of Bernburg had greatly
distinguished itself in this engagement, and on its termination an old
subaltern officer stepped forward and demanded from the King the
restoration of its military badges, to which Frederick gratefully
acceded.

Scarcely, however, were Breslau relieved and Silesia delivered from
Laudon's wild hordes than his rear was again threatened by Daun, who had
fallen back upon the united Imperial army in Saxony and threatened to
form a junction with the Russians then stationed in his vicinity in the
Mere. Frederick, conscious of his utter inability to make head against
this overwhelming force, determined, at all risks, to bring Daun and the
Imperial army to a decisive engagement before their junction with the
Russians, and, accordingly, attacked them at Torgau. Before the
commencement of the action he earnestly addressed his officers and
solemnly prepared for death. Daun, naturally as anxious to evade an
engagement as Frederick was to hazard one, had, as at Collin, taken up
an extremely strong position, and received the Prussians with a
well-sustained fire.

A terrible havoc ensued; the battle raged with various fortune during
the whole of the day, and, notwithstanding the most heroic attempts, the
position was still uncarried at fall of night. The confusion had become
so general that Prussian fought with Prussian, whole regiments had
disbanded, and the King was wounded when Zieten, the gallant hussar
general, who had during the night cut his