Zornsdorf/Coldberg,1758
Charlie Anderson
Help please.
I have a copy of a book written by Charles Craufurd of the Dragoon
Guards and Robert Craufurd of the 75th Regiment.
It's dedicated to the Duke of York and entitled:
" Vol II, The campaign of the Prussian and Russian Armies in the year
1758; including the Battle of Zornsdorf and The siege of Coldberg also a
plan proposed by the author for taking Colberg by suprise and Storm the
following winter, with plans."
It's nicely illustrated with several engravings of fortifications, an
order of battle and "A Rufsian Schuwalow or secret Howitz"
There's no date on it, and I assume it was published shortly after the
events described. At the back, it bears the ominous warning that since
the subscriptions of the first two volumes, "has not defrayed the
expences of the publication of them, Captains Craufurd do not think it
advifable to proceed with the Work, till they have firft afcertained
whether or not there will be fufficient number of Subfcribers."
Can anyone tell me of the significance of Zornsdorf and Coldberg and
where they fall in military history?
Thank-you in advance,
Charlie Anderson.
David Read
In article <3245D6...@wimsey.com>, Charlie Anderson
<Char...@wimsey.com> writes
Nice book, and nice to see some horse and musket stuff that isn't the
War of 1812.
Zorndorf, (the 's' is extraneous, as the the 'd' in Coldberg, - typical
inexact 18th c English spelling) was fought on 25th August 1758.
It was the first time Frederick the Great personally led his forces
against the Russians, whom he had hitherto despised as 'scum', and he
occasionally affected to refer to them as that after the battle. The
battle was a close-run thing with the victorious Prussians losing a
third of their number. The Russians had made a tortuous march from
occupied East Prussia, through Poland to find themselves on the banks of
the River Oder opposite the fortified town of Cuestrin, about 60 miles
from Berlin. With no siege train to hand they were stymied, despite an
ineffectual bombardment with field artillery, and their supplies were
very low. Frederick caught up with them, and in a typical manouevre,
completely turned their right, isolating them from their main baggage.
The Prussians captured the Russian pay-chests, as well as some of the
highly secret Shuvalov howitzers. Both sides withdrew from the field,
the Prussians once again to face the Austrians, the Russians back on
their communications and to winter quarters.
Although the Russians had fought well against the Prussians the previous
year at Gross Jaegersdorf, the performance of the Russian troops at
Zorndorf greatly impressed Frederick, and the rest of Europe when they
read of the battle. Russia had truly entered the modern world, and its
presence and potential would henceforth weigh significantly in the
political and military calculations of central and western European
powers.
After retiring to winter quarters, Fermor, the Russian commander decided
to make an attempt to take Colberg, which would have given the Russians
a good supply base at the western end of the Baltic. The small force
allocated to the task was completely inadequate and undersupplied.
Again, no siege train was available, and ammunition was short for the
field artillery. Co-operation with the Russian naval squadron offshore
was ineffectual, and no plans existed in the Russian camp of Colberg's
fortifications. Th siege was raised on 1st November 1758. A plan to take
the town the following year came to nothing, but it did fall to the
Russians in 1761.
I wonder why the author of your book dreamt up a plan for the taking of
Colberg ? After all, Britain was an ally of Prussia. Was the plan made
after the Russian capture of 1761, or was the author just indulging
himself in an intellectual excercise ?
--
David Read
efr...@cc.memphis.edu
Charlie, it seems you have a volume of the Craufurd
and Craufurd translation of Johann Gottlieb Tielke's
(1731-1787) _An account of some of the most remarkable
events of the war between the Prussians, Austrians,
and Russians, from 1756 to 1763: and a treatise on
several branches of the military art, with plans and
maps_, (London, printed for the translators and sold
by J. Walter, 1787-1788). 2 volumes and maps.
> I have a copy of a book written by Charles Craufurd of the Dragoon
> Guards and Robert Craufurd of the 75th Regiment.
Sir Charles Gregan Crauford, 1761-1821. General(?)
and Member of Parliament.
HIs little brother Robert, 1764-1812, may be the
"Black Bob" Craufurd who commanded Wellington's
Light Division in Spain-- you could verify that
easily enough.
> It's dedicated to the Duke of York and entitled:
>
> " Vol II, The campaign of the Prussian and Russian Armies in the year
> 1758; including the Battle of Zornsdorf and The siege of Coldberg also a
> plan proposed by the author for taking Colberg by suprise and Storm the
> following winter, with plans."
>
> It's nicely illustrated with several engravings of fortifications, an
> order of battle and "A Rufsian Schuwalow or secret Howitz"
>
> There's no date on it, and I assume it was published shortly after the
> events described. At the back, it bears the ominous warning that since
> the subscriptions of the first two volumes, "has not defrayed the
> expences of the publication of them, Captains Craufurd do not think it
> advifable to proceed with the Work, till they have firft afcertained
> whether or not there will be fufficient number of Subfcribers."
Typical publishing method of the day-- get a lot of
interested folks to sign up ("subscribe") and you
can afford to have it published without the risk
that you'll be stuck with hundreds or thousands
of copies unsold. Of course, subscription obviously
carried its own risks...
> Can anyone tell me of the significance of Zornsdorf and Coldberg and
> where they fall in military history?
Oh, Zorndorf was a *major* bloodbath, one of the
hardest fought battles in a hard-fought war. The
Prussians won on points. Coldberg/Colberg/Kolberg
was Prussia's main fortress on the Baltic Sea, and
was a place the Russians needed as a base that was
closer to the theater of operations than Koenigsberg
way off to the east. Kolberg was more famous for
its siege by the French in Napoleon's day.
> Thank-you in advance.
OK, hope this helps. Take care of that book!
Ed Frank
efr...@cc.memphis.edu
Charlie Anderson asked:
>>I have a copy of a book written by Charles Craufurd of the Dragoon
>>Guards and Robert Craufurd of the 75th Regiment.
>>It's dedicated to the Duke of York and entitled:
>>
>> " Vol II, The campaign of the Prussian and Russian Armies in the year
>>1758; including the Battle of Zornsdorf and The siege of Coldberg also a
>>plan proposed by the author for taking Colberg by suprise and Storm the
>>following winter, with plans."
David Read's answer included an excellent synopsis
of the Russian-Prussian campaign of that year and
this question:
> I wonder why the author of your book dreamt up a plan for the taking of
> Colberg ? After all, Britain was an ally of Prussia. Was the plan made
> after the Russian capture of 1761, or was the author just indulging
> himself in an intellectual excercise ?
I'm not certain, but it appears that Tielke (the German
author whose book the Craufurds translated) was something
of a theorist as well as an historian. This is based
on a Worldcat(OCLC) search of titles written by Tielke.
He may have been a soldier, but it's not clear.
Ed Frank
Charlie Anderson
Thank you Messers Reid and Frank for your excellent, informative
responses.
The Author's preface, which I suppose to be the translator, is
obviously aimed at other soldiers
"The expeditions, attakcs, defences, and retreats of fmall detachments
are particularly inftructive for officers in inferior ftations, and as
well deferve to be handed down to pofterity, as the movements of a more
extenfive nature..."
The first section deals with the movements of the Russian and Prussian
armies prior to Zornsdorf, the second with the Battle and subsequent
movements prior to the army going into winter quarters and the third
with the siege of Colberg.
The first two sections are clearly a history, but the third is an
eye-witness account, with the author, an engineering officer serving
with the besiegers, gleefully reporting firing siege cannon at a
perceived breach in the walls.
"I aimed at the cannon on the broken part of the rampart which were
almoft entirely expofed, and the Colonel gave the word for firing. We
had not fired three fhot, when we received a moft fevere round from all
the batteries on this fide of the ramparts, and had three artillery men
killed at our feet. We immedialtely defifted, as did alfo the
befieged..."
The fourth section includes the plan for storming the town at a later
date.
Clearly this must be a reproduction of translation of an earlier work,
with the Craufurd's input simply that of translation.
Charles Craufurd is described as a Captain, Queen's regiment of Dragoon
Guards and Robert Craufurd, a Captain in the 75th infantry. This book
must have been published somewhere in the 1770s-90s and must be a few
years later than I originally thought.
Thanks again, Charlie Anderson.