Battle of Hochkirch 1758
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 14 October 1758 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1758 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | Early modern (1500–1799) | derived from year |
| Location | Germany | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Seven Years' War | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 51.1486, 14.5700 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Hochkirch took place on 14 October 1758, during the Third Silesian War (part of the Seven Years' War). After several weeks of maneuvering for position, an Austrian army of 80,000 commanded by Lieutenant Field Marshal Leopold Josef Graf Daun surprised the Prussian army of 30,000–36,000 commanded by Frederick the Great. The Austrian army overwhelmed the Prussians and forced a general retreat. The battle took place in and around the village of Hochkirch, 9 kilometers (6 mi) east of Bautzen, Saxony.
Historians generally consider the battle as among Frederick's greatest blunders. Contrary to the advice of his subordinates, he refused to believe that the typically cautious Austrian commander Leopold von Daun would bring his troops into battle. The Austrian force ambushed his army in a pre-dawn attack. Over 30% of Frederick's army was defeated; five generals were killed, and he lost his artillery park and a vast quantity of supplies. Although Daun had scored a complete surprise, his attempt to pursue the retreating Prussians was unsuccessful. The escaped force united with another corps in the vicinity and regained momentum over the winter.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Hochkirch (revision 1375466776), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Other battles of the Seven Years' War
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- Battle of Rossbach 1757
- Battle of Štěrboholy 1757
- Raid on Rochefort 1757
- Siege of Fort William Henry 1757
- Battle of Carillon 1758
- Battle of Cartagena (1758) 1758
- Battle of Condore 1758
- Battle of Cuddalore (1758) 1758
- Battle of Domstadtl 1758
All 102 battles of the Seven Years' War →
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